Goddess of Victory
by cleotheo
Summary: Sequel to Goddess of Vengeance. With her vengeance achieved and her enemies brought to their knees, Hermione is looking forward to her future with Draco. But between a surprising figure from the past returning and her old friends unable to leave recent events alone, it's going to be quite a while before Hermione can get her desired peaceful future. Dark Hermione!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Welcome (finally) to the Goddess Sequel. I'm sorry it's taken so long to start, but as you know I got totally sidetracked by the Darkness trilogy (which will resume at the end of this story). I am still working on this story, so I can't yet give a total amount of chapters. At this moment in time I've written 27 chapters, and know exactly how the story will end, but there is still more I need to write. However, that's more than enough to enable me to start publishing.**

 **Updates will be the usual dark Mondays and Fridays, and it's rated M for a little bit of sex, but mainly for precautionary reasons. And even though this is a Dark Hermione, I just want to point out that she's not as dark in this story as she is in others. In keeping with her character in Vengeance, Hermione's darkness stems more from her need for revenge, and in the sequel, in keeping the people she loves safe. This isn't a dark Hermione who wants to rule the world and will stop at nothing to achieve it. Her darkness is much more subtle.**

 **I hope people enjoy this story and it's not a disappointment after such a long wait.**

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It was a warm summer's evening and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were enjoying a quiet evening together. A few days ago their son Draco had headed off to their villa in Sardinia with his girlfriend, Hermione Granger. After the eventful year the young couple had just experienced they'd been wanting a break after Hermione finished avenging the people responsible for her parent's deaths. With Draco and Hermione abroad, Lucius and Narcissa had been hoping to enjoy some time together, but the day after the young couple left the manor Narcissa's sister, Bellatrix arrived with her husband, Rodolphus. Luckily the couple had made plans for that evening, leaving Lucius and Narcissa to enjoy a nice peaceful evening together.

After a romantic dinner, the couple had settled in the front room together. Narcissa was curled up next to Lucius with a book in her hand, while Lucius was content to sit with his wife while she read. However, just sitting allowed Lucius's mind to wander and he was soon thinking about events of the last twelve months. In the space of twelve months they'd been reunited with Athena and the Order had been brought to its knees.

Lucius knew Voldemort would be proud of his daughter, he just wished his old friend could witness what she'd done for him. Despite being raised in the muggle world and manipulated by Dumbledore and the Order since she started school, Hermione had embraced her dark side and delivered the Order a firm warning not to mess with her. She'd avenged her parent's deaths and messed up the lives of everyone involved in her kidnapping.

Of course Lucius himself had played a large part in Hermione's plans, and he couldn't help but feel wistful at the fact his Death Eater days were now firmly behind him. Running the Death Eaters and launching attacks on the Order had been just like old times, and he'd loved every minute of it. He knew a few Death Eaters had been hoping that Athena would take charge of them once they found her, and even though Lucius secretly wished it would happen, he knew it would never come to pass. Hermione had made it clear she wanted revenge, and that was all. She wasn't interested in fighting the Order and rising to power in the wizarding world, therefore she had no interest in taking the reins with the Death Eaters.

Lucius could have carried on orchestrating the Death Eaters, but he wasn't really sure as to what purpose he would be fighting for. He'd joined Voldemort to help purify the wizarding world and rid it of muggleborns, but carrying on with ideas like that would put him at odds with Hermione, and by extension Draco. Hermione had no problems with muggleborns, and considering Draco had gotten involved with Hermione thinking she was a muggleborn, he also didn't have too many problems with them. Even power didn't really appeal to Lucius as he already had substantial influence in the wizarding world. He was a leading businessman with sway at the Ministry, and if for some reason he wasn't being listened to, he had enough money to make sure people took notice of his opinions. Carrying on with the Death Eaters may not have been a viable option for Lucius, but that didn't mean he couldn't miss the action.

Lucius was suddenly brought out of his thoughts when he felt the wards around the front gates ripple to say someone had passed through that wasn't family. Narcissa had also felt the change in the wards as she sat up and put her book down. The basic wards around the gate allowed most magical beings access, but only people permitted could pass a second ward located a few feet away from the front door.

Making sure their wands were in easy reach, Lucius and Narcissa got up and headed to the front door. Pulling open the large front door they stood in the shadows, watching for whenever the person who'd breached the wards would come into sight. The couple were standing at the door for almost five minutes and Narcissa was just about to return to the front room when a figure hobbled into sight.

"Who is that?" Narcissa questioned in a disgusted tone. While the wards at the gates allowed most magical beings, they were supposed to bar entry for any unsavoury characters and the man wandering down their path looked to be nothing more than a vagrant.

"I have no idea," Lucius said as he stepped forward and onto the front step. "Hey you," he called to the old man. "This is private property, go away."

Unperturbed by Lucius's threat the old man continued to slowly make his way towards the front door. Muttering under his breath about rude trespassers, Lucius pulled out his wand and stalked down the remaining steps to the pathway. Shaking his head in disdain, he began making his way towards the old man who still showed no signs of backing down and leaving the property.

"I told you to go away," Lucius hissed as he approached the old man. "I promise you, I'll have no hesitation in throwing you out of here on your scrawny backside if you don't turn around and leave now."

Finally stopping the old man chuckled, before raising his head and looking directly into Lucius's stunned grey eyes. "You've still got a way with words I see, Lucius."

"Tom?" Lucius whispered, what little colour he had in his features draining away as he came face to face with a dead man.

"It's me Lucius," Voldemort said.

"Prove it," Lucius said suspiciously. His gut told him he was looking at The Dark Lord, but logically he knew it couldn't be true.

"So suspicious, Lucius," Voldemort chuckled. "I like it. Now let's see how I can prove it's me. I could tell you our children were bonded when Draco was just four months old. I could tell you that you came to me asking for the mark before you'd even left school. You were my youngest ever Death Eater Lucius, and the one I'm the most proud of. You're my right hand man, my good friend, and the one person I trust more than anyone. Help me, Lucius."

Voldemort barely managed to choke out his last words, before his knees buckled from underneath him and he went crashing to the gravel pathway. Lucius was at his side immediately, pulling him back to his feet and placing a steadying arm around his waist.

"Don't worry My Lord, we'll help you," Lucius said as he began slowly making his way to the front door.

Narcissa had been standing watching the entire thing, and although she couldn't hear what was being said or make out who their visitor was the fact Lucius was helping them to the manor was a sure fire sign they were a friend. Rushing forward to help her husband, she stopped and stared when she saw the haggard old man was a practically unconscious Voldemort.

"Help me get him inside," Lucius said to his wife.

Narcissa helped Lucius manoeuvre Voldemort inside the manor. Shutting the door behind her, she immediately called for some elves. She sent a couple of them to prepare one of the spare rooms, while she sent another couple to make some food.

"You go and call the healer," Lucius told his wife. "I'll get Tom settled in his room."

"No healers," Voldemort whispered.

"Don't talk nonsense Tom, you need help," Narcissa said firmly. "I'm contacting out private healer, he's discreet and won't mention anything that goes on here."

Not waiting for a response, Narcissa left Lucius to get Voldemort up to his room while she went to contact their healer. Within five minutes Healer Janson, the Malfoys private healer, was emerging from the fireplace. Narcissa stressed to the healer that everything he would see was not to be repeated, but he was an old friend of the family and both Narcissa and Lucius trusted him implicitly.

Narcissa took Healer Janson up to the spare room where Lucius had gotten Voldemort settled on the bed. Either Healer Janson didn't recognise the man in the bed, or he was good at hiding his emotions as he didn't react when faced with Voldemort. All he did was place his bag to one side and asked what had happened. Without giving a name for their friend, Lucius explained that their friend had unexpectedly shown up and collapsed before entering the house.

For the next ten minutes, Healer Janson carefully examined Voldemort. When he was finished, he packed his things away and scribbled out a prescription which he handed to Narcissa. As with all prescriptions their private healer gave them, the Malfoys collected them directly from his offices and no questions were ever asked.

"Your friend is weak and suffering from malnutrition," Healer Janson said, addressing Lucius and Narcissa rather than the man in the bed as he wasn't sure how much the man would understand in his weakened state. "Follow the instructions on the potions I've prescribed, and make sure he ups his intake of food slowly. Don't feed him too much at once or he'll not be able to keep it down. Start with simple things like soup and broths and slowly add more solid food into his diet."

"Will he be okay?" Narcissa questioned.

"It'll take time, but he should be fine," Healer Janson replied. "As his physical strength returns, so should his magic. I can feel the magic in him and it's quite powerful, but for some reason it's been lying dormant for a number of years. If he struggles with his magic, I recommend you see a specialist. I can give you the details of a few very discreet healers if that course of action is required."

Lucius thanked Healer Janson and walked him back downstairs as one of the elves appeared carrying a bowl of chicken broth for Voldemort. Once Lucius had seen the healer out, he rushed back to the guest room to try and find out what was happening. He needed to know how Voldemort had come back from the dead. However, explanations needed to wait for a short while as Narcissa insisted Voldemort ate his broth before he could tell them what was going on. Finally the broth was devoured, and Voldemort was ready to talk.

"If you get tired, just let us know," Narcissa said as she took a seat beside the bed next to her husband. "We can continue this anytime, there's no rush."

"There's every rush," Voldemort said with a snarl. "That bastard Dumbledore stole my daughter. He's been taunting me about her for years. We need to get her back to safety, according to Dumbledore he had her living with muggles and consorting with the Order."

"Before we begin, we can assure you Athena is safe," Lucius told his old friend and master. "She's not with the Order or anyone associated with them. She's with Draco in Sardinia."

"Thank Merlin for that," Voldemort said quietly, a look of relief passing over his face before confusion set in. "How is she with Draco? Has she been with you all this time and Dumbledore's just been lying to me?"

"It's a long story and we've got a lot to tell you, but first let's start with how you're alive," Lucius replied. "Your house burned to the ground. We've also seen what happened that night, you and Adelaide were both hit with the killing curse."

"I don't think I can answer all your questions. I doubt we'll know the full truth until we can get Dumbledore to talk," Voldemort said. When Lucius and Narcissa shared a slightly concerned look he frowned, but pressed on with his tale while he still had the strength to talk. "I think the first thing I should tell you is that I can't be killed the normal way, at least not until all my Horcruxes have been destroyed."

"You've got Horcruxes?" Lucius gasped, wondering why he never knew about them. With Horcruxes being dark magic, he knew about them and what it took to create them but he wasn't aware Voldemort had some.

"I started making them when I was just a teenager," Voldemort answered. "I've got a few scatted all over the country, but I hadn't made any since meeting Adelaide and settling down with her. My guess is that Dumbledore somehow found out about my Horcruxes and knew I couldn't be killed. That's probably why he faked my death and imprisoned me for all these years."

"Actually, we're fairly sure he was after Athena," Lucius said, briefly outlining the prophecy the Order had possession of. "We have a set of memories pertaining to events surrounding the night you supposedly died, and it's definitely Athena that's top of their agenda."

"But she's okay?" Voldemort checked.

"She's fine," Narcissa said giving Voldemort a reassuring smile. "But for now, let's get back to you. How did Dumbledore fake your death?"

"Luckily the old man liked to taunt me, and he told me everything I needed to know," Voldemort replied quietly. "The butcher we used betrayed us and allowed Dumbledore access to our meat order. Dumbledore slipped a strong sleeping draught into the meat, meaning Adelaide and I went to bed and slept so soundly that we never realised intruders were in the property. Because I couldn't be killed without first destroying my Horcruxes, Dumbledore merely shot the killing curse at me. It injured me rather severely and I couldn't move for months, but it didn't kill me."

"But they killed Adelaide," Narcissa whispered quietly. She still missed her friend and she hated to think of the awful way in which she died.

"They did," Voldemort said soberly, although his eyes were full of pain and both Lucius and Narcissa could see how devastated he was by the loss of his wife. "When I awoke, she was lying beside me dead. I knew I wasn't at home, but I was in too much pain to move and my magic wasn't working. I must have lain next to her body for two or three days before Dumbledore turned up gloating over what he'd done. When he was supposedly checking we were dead, he cast a spell on our bodies that would transport us away from our house and into a cottage he'd prepared at a specific time. Most likely, just before the fire took too strong a hold on the house."

"That's why there wasn't any remains to be found," Lucius declared, understanding dawning as he thought back to the morning after the fire. "I searched for hours, and could find no sign of you, Adelaide or Athena. It was only when I got back home that we realised Athena wasn't dead because her bond with Draco hadn't broken. With everything that was going on, it slipped my mind that we couldn't find any remains. I should have known something was wrong."

"Don't blame yourself, Lucius," Voldemort said quietly. "Only one man is to blame, and that's Dumbledore. He orchestrated the whole thing, he left me to wake up next to my dead wife and then he turned up to taunt me. After taking Adelaide away to be buried, he returned and told me he'd placed Athena with muggles. Over the years he'd turn up and taunt me about how my daughter was being raised by muggles. He would taunt me that she was friends with the Order and thought I was evil. She grew up hating me."

"She didn't," Lucius told his old friend. "It's true she grew up with muggles, but she didn't even hear about you until she started school. She heard the stories the Order spread about you, but she's told me that they never sat right with her. She never hated you."

"That's a relief," Voldemort said, leaning back against the pillows and briefly closing his eyes.

"Do you want us to go and let you rest?" Narcissa queried, seeing how weary Voldemort looked.

"Not yet, I still have some questions," Voldemort replied, forcing his eyes open.

"So do I," Lucius said. "Where was Dumbledore keeping you, and how did you escape and get back here?"

"As I said when I first woke up I was in too much pain to move," Voldemort recalled. "I was bed bound for months, but he made sure I had just enough food and water to survive. When I was strong enough to get up and explore, I found I was trapped in a small cottage. There were strong wards preventing me from using any magic, and I was kept in a physically weakened condition the entire time. Dumbledore made sure I had enough nourishment to meet my needs, but never enough to build my strength up. I tried everything to escape, but he'd planned it all too well. I was stuck at his mercy as he regularly turned up and taunted me about how he'd stolen my daughter and was raising her away from the dark. As for how I escaped, a few weeks ago the wards suddenly dropped. I had enough magical awareness to know the wards had dropped, but I still had no magic to escape. Eventually I broke out physically, and manually I escaped. I managed to summon a bit of magic to apparate me part of the way here, but mainly I walked."

"What an ordeal," Narcissa remarked in horror. "I can't believe anyone could go through such torment."

"When I get my hands on him, that's exactly what'll happen to Dumbledore," Voldemort said darkly. "I'm going to make him pay for everything he's ever done to me and my family."

"I'm afraid you're a bit too late for that," Lucius said. "He's dead, which is what I'm assuming led to the wards being dropped where he was keeping you a prisoner."

"Dead?" Voldemort's face dropped as his plans for vengeance disappeared in front of his eyes. "How did he die?"

"Your daughter killed him to avenge your death," Lucius answered with a smirk. "You'll be proud of her Tom. Athena is a very strong, determined young woman. She killed Dumbledore and destroyed the Potters and Weasleys."

"Tell me more," Voldemort said, intrigued. "I want to know everything."

Settling back against the pillows, Voldemort listened with pride as Lucius and Narcissa told him everything that had happened the previous year. Lucius was right, he was immensely proud of his little girl. However, he wanted to meet her. It was time Athena knew her father was alive.


	2. Chapter 2

Lying on the gorgeous golden sand, Hermione happily lounged in the blazing Mediterranean sun. It was so nice to be free and unburdened by the past. For the last year, Hermione's life had revolved around her vengeance, but now all her plans had come to fruition and she could relax. The two people who'd killed her parents were dead and everyone who'd been heavily involved in her kidnapping had been punished. Now she could forget about the Order and concentrate on her future with Draco.

Thinking about her boyfriend, Hermione cracked open her eyes and sat up. Looking up and down the private stretch of beach that belonged to the villa they were staying in she found no sign of the blond wizard she was holidaying with. The stretch of private beach wasn't overly long, and Hermione could see that Draco hadn't wandered off along the golden sands. Turning her attention to the sea, Hermione also failed to spot her boyfriend in the deep blue waters. Thanks to their bond she could tell he was safe and it felt as though he was nearby, but she couldn't place exactly where he was.

Just when she thought he'd headed back to the villa, a movement out at sea caught her eye. Floating a few meters off shore was a wooden platform, and Hermione thought she saw her boyfriend on the platform. The platform was perfect for resting on when they'd been playing about in the sea, and it was also great for lying on and getting a tan. Deciding she was fairly confident Draco was on the platform, Hermione got up and made her way to the water's edge. Diving into the water, she quickly swam to the platform and hauled herself up onto the wood. As expected, she found Draco relaxing on the bobbing platform.

"What are you doing out here?" Hermione asked.

"I went for a swim and stopped for a rest," Draco replied. "Did you miss me?"

"Of course not," Hermione snorted in reply. "I was just curious as to where you were."

"It sounds like you missed me," Draco smirked. "Not that I can blame you, I'm pretty hard to live without."

"Bighead," Hermione muttered as she rolled her eyes. "I'm sure I could live without you just fine."

"And I'm sure you couldn't," Draco retorted, pulling Hermione over to him and settling him on his lap. "We are bonded after all. Our lives are entwined, whether we like it or not."

"Luckily, we do like it," Hermione said, smiling at her boyfriend. "And I really couldn't imagine my life without you in it."

"And I couldn't imagine my life without you in it," Draco replied seriously, as he brushed a wet strand of hair away from Hermione's face.

"Then I guess we're both pretty lucky," Hermione said. "And we're both about to get a bit luckier."

Draco opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but he soon realised what she was implying as she hands disappeared around her back and untied the string ties on her bikini top. The top immediately fell away from Hermione's breasts, and one tug had the material removed completely and cast aside over the side of the platform. While Draco's hands automatically came up to fondle Hermione's bare breasts, her hands dropped to her bikini bottoms where she undid those strings as well as peeled the flimsy fabric away from her body.

"It's your turn now," Hermione purred in Draco's ear as she rubbed her naked body up against his. "Get your trunks off."

"Anything you say," Draco replied with a grin.

Flipping Hermione off him, Draco yanked off his swimming trunks. Hermione barely had a chance to admire her boyfriend's fine physique before he lunged at her and pinned her to the wooden platform. Hermione hummed contentedly and pressed herself closer to Draco's naked form.

"I love it when you're at my mercy, Athena," Draco muttered, nipping at his girlfriend's neck as his hands started wandering her body.

Even though Hermione had decided to stick with the name her parents had given her, she still encouraged Draco to use Athena when he felt like it. She was very much both Athena Riddle and Hermione Granger, and with Draco she felt the two identities merged together much more than they did when she was with anyone else. Draco had fallen in love with her when she was Hermione Granger, but he'd stood by her and helped her avenge her parents as Athena Riddle. More than anyone, he understood her need to keep the name Hermione but also acknowledging that she was also Athena.

Hermione's thoughts about her name soon faded away as her attention turned to Draco and the pleasure he was giving her. Connecting their lips in a heated embrace, her own hands started wandering over her boyfriend's smooth skin as she lost herself in her lover's touch. Touching and kissing quickly became more heated, until Draco sheathed himself inside Hermione with a low moan. Under the blistering Mediterranean sun, the couple vigorously made love on the wooden platform in the middle of the sea until things came to a shuddering climax and the couple lay sated in each other's arms.

"We're going to have to move," Draco eventually said, although Hermione could hear the reluctance in his voice. "If we stay here much longer, we'll burn."

"Let's go back to the villa," Hermione suggested. Even though she was quite happy lounging on the platform with a naked Draco, she didn't fancy getting sunburn in any undesirable places.

Using wandless magic the couple summoned their swimming things before diving off the platform and swimming back to shore. On the beach they packed up their stuff and headed back to the villa hand in hand.

"Do you want to eat yet?" Draco questioned when they arrived back at the villa.

"I fancy a shower," Hermione answered. "I've got sand all over. Do you want to come and help me remove it all?"

Draco grinned as he swooped Hermione up in his arms. "It'll be my pleasure."

Draco carried Hermione up to the master bedroom, where they entered the adjoining bathroom and spent the next hour making love in the shower. Finally they emerged from the bathroom and both pulled on some fresh clothes, although neither of them bothered with underwear.

"Let's go and eat, I'm starving," Hermione said, leading the way from the bedroom down to the large kitchen.

Luckily the kitchen was magical, meaning neither Draco nor Hermione had to do any cooking themselves. Draco wouldn't know how to cook, while Hermione knew a bit more, she just wasn't very good at it. Deciding what they wanted, Hermione set everything away to make while Draco poured them each a glass of wine. Just as Draco handed a glass to Hermione, a shrill beeping interrupted them from the front room.

"What's that?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"I have no idea," Draco replied, placing his glass down on the kitchen counter.

Hermione placed her glass next to Draco's and the couple cautiously made their way into the front room. When they entered the front room, they quickly located the sound as coming from the fireplace. They'd used the floo network to travel to the villa, but Draco had locked it behind them so they could have a few weeks of privacy.

"I think someone's trying to use the floo network," Draco said as he set about unlocking the floo connection. "And since this is a Malfoy property, it has to be either Mother or Father."

Once the floo connection was open the beeping ceased, and within minutes Lucius's head appeared in the green flames.

"Father, what are you doing?" Draco hissed. "We're supposed to be having a break."

"I know, and I'm sorry to disturb you both, but you need to come home immediately," Lucius answered.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, worried in case Harry and Ron had finally decided to strike back.

"I'll explain when you get back," Lucius said. "Just get back to the manor as fast as you can."

Without saying another word, Lucius's head disappeared from the flames, leaving a very confused Draco and Hermione. Deciding it was best to head home and see what was so urgent, Hermione headed into the kitchen to stop dinner and tidy up while Draco went off to pack. Ten minutes later they were back in the front room, ready to head back to the manor and find out what was going on.

"Are you ready?" Draco asked.

"One minute," Hermione said. Opening the bag Draco had packed, she rooted around for a pair of knickers and pulled them on. She was just wearing a short dress and didn't want to give Lucius a quick flash. "Can you tell I'm not wearing a bra?" she checked, turning to Draco.

"Yes," Draco answered, his gaze falling on Hermione's breasts with a lustful expression.

Pulling off her dress, Hermione quickly pulled on a bra and redressed. Satisfied she was presentable, Hermione double checked they had everything before following Draco through the floo network and back home to England.

Surprisingly when the pair emerged from the floo at the manor they found themselves in Lucius's study. Normally the floo was connected to a specialised room until specifically stated, but for some reason they'd landed in Lucius's study without meaning to. However Lucius was in the study and didn't seem the slightest bit surprised to see them, meaning he was likely the one to ensure they arrived in his study.

"What's wrong Lucius?" Hermione demanded. "Is it the Order? Has someone found proof of what we've been doing?"

"No-one has any proof of anything, and they never will," Lucius reassured the young witch. "But something unexpected has happened, and you need to know about it. Come with me."

"Why can't you tell me here?" Hermione questioned, following Lucius as he strode out of his study.

"It's better to see with your own eyes," Lucius replied, heading up the stairs.

Hermione and Draco shared a confused look, but they followed Lucius up the stairs without asking further questions. It was clear Lucius wasn't going to tell them anything, so they might as well just wait until he arrived at wherever they were going. Their destination didn't take long to reach as Lucius led them into the wing of the manor he and Narcissa slept in and took them to one of the guest rooms.

"I'm sure what you're about to see will be very shocking," Lucius said quietly. "It certainly was for Narcissa and I."

"You're making me anxious, Lucius," Hermione said, biting her lower lip in nervousness.

"Sorry," Lucius replied sheepishly. "Just prepare yourselves for a shock."

Pushing open the door, Lucius led the way into the spare room. Holding tightly to Draco's hand, Hermione followed Lucius into the room. Narcissa was sitting in a chair beside the bed and in the bed lay a frail looking man. Hermione frowned in bewilderment at the sight of a stranger lying in bed at the manor, but then the man opened his eyes and Hermione gasped as recognition swept through her. Even though she had no memories of the man in the bed, she'd seen enough pictures and seen enough of Lucius and Narcissa's memories to know she was looking at her father.

"Holy crap," Draco muttered quietly from Hermione's side. "It can't be."

"I see your son is almost as eloquent as you, Lucius," Voldemort chuckled lightly before turning his attention to Hermione and sobering up as he looked at his grown daughter. "Hello, Athena."

"Daddy?" Hermione whispered, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"It's me princess," Voldemort said with a smile.

"How?" Hermione let go of Draco's hand and slowly walked forward until she was standing at the bottom of the bed in which Voldemort lay. "This isn't possible. I've seen the memories. Dumbledore killed you."

"That my dear is a long story," Voldemort said. "If you sit down, I'll tell it to you."

"We'll leave you two alone," Narcissa said as she rose from the chair beside the bed.

"No," Hermione cried, shaking her head. "I want you to stay. All of you."

Lucius summoned some chairs and arranged them around the bed. Narcissa sank back into the chair she'd been occupying and Lucius moved to sit next to his wife. At the other side of the bed sat two chairs for Draco and Hermione. When Hermione made no attempt to move, Draco gently took hold of his girlfriend's hand and led her over to the chairs beside the bed. Settling her into one chair, he sat in the other chair, although Hermione remained holding onto his hand the entire time.

From the bed, Voldemort watched Draco with his daughter and was pleased by what he was seeing. It was very obvious that Draco loved Athena, and it was just as obvious that his daughter depended on the youngest Malfoy. Even though she'd asked for all the family to stay, it was Draco she clung onto as she tried to comprehend what was going on.

"How can this be possible?" Hermione asked quietly as she studied the man in the bed. "How can you be real?"

"I'm very real, Athena," Voldemort said, reaching out a hand and gently grasping Hermione's free hand in his. "And you have no idea how much I've longed for this day. How long I've waited to see my beautiful daughter."

Voldemort took another few minutes to study Hermione, but he settled back and with the help of Lucius and Narcissa he repeated his story about what had happened to him eighteen years ago and what had happened in the intervening years. As she listened, Hermione felt her temper grow and by the end of her father's devastating story she was absolutely furious.

"Bastard," she hissed when Voldemort had finished speaking. "Not you," she clarified when her father gave her a shocked look. "Dumbledore. If he was still here, I would make him suffer for what he put you through."

"Lucius told me what you did last year, and I'm extremely proud of you," Voldemort told his daughter. "You've sorted Dumbledore, so stop worrying about him."

"I killed him for killing you, but he deserved so much more than the easy death that came his way," Hermione said fiercely. "He should have suffered. He should have died, regretting his actions."

"The important thing is that he's dead," Voldemort said.

"That's it?" Hermione asked in shock as she gazed at the man in the bed. "That's all you've got to say? What happened to the man I thought was my father? What happened to you being the darkest wizard on the planet?"

"What do you expect me to say?" Voldemort retorted with a raised eyebrow. "Dumbledore's dead, I can't get revenge on a dead man. It's pointless wasting my time on him. I need to focus my energies on getting better, then we can decide what action needs to be taken against the rest of the Order. Don't for one minute think I've gone soft, Athena. I just know it's not wise to fret over what can't be changed."

"I guess you're right," Hermione admitted sheepishly. "Dumbledore is dead, and while a more painful death would have been more appropriate, the important thing is that he's gone."

"And don't forget, if you hadn't killed him, I wouldn't be here," Voldemort said quietly. "His death led to my escape. Without that, I would have still being stuck up in that damn cottage."

"That is definitely something to be grateful for," Lucius remarked.

"Yes it is," Hermione muttered as she abruptly stood up.

"Where are you going?" Voldemort asked, a mixture of hurt and panic evident in his voice.

"I need to think," Hermione replied as she slowly backed away from the bed. "This is all too much. I've spent the last year mourning you and avenging your death. I need some time to deal with your return."

Turning on her heel, Hermione fled from the room with Draco rushing after her. As she left she heard both Narcissa and Lucius reassuring her father that she just needed some space and would be fine in time. However, Hermione wasn't sure if she would be fine in time. Part of her was thrilled to have her father back, but another part of her was thrown by the entire thing. She'd spent a year grieving for a man she'd never met, only to have him catapulted back into her life. Her life was about to change yet again, and Hermione couldn't help but wish her life didn't have to be so complicated. A year ago everything was so simple, then she discovered who she truly was and her life got turned on its head. And now, things had just gotten back to normal, and yet again her life had been turned upside down.

Draco followed Hermione into his bedroom, unsure about what to say to his girlfriend. He was still in shock about Voldemort's return, and he knew Hermione would be reeling much more than him. Her whole life had just been turned on its head yet again, and he had no idea how to make things easier for her.

"What do I do, Draco?" Hermione whispered, sinking onto the bed. "How do I cope with this?"

"I have no idea," Draco admitted as he joined Hermione on the bed. "To be honest, I'm still trying to get my head around it all."

"Tell me about it," Hermione muttered as she flopped back on the bed. "I knew Dumbledore was a manipulative bastard, but this is bad even for him."

"Do you think he's lied to the entire Order?" Draco asked. "Or do you think some of them know the truth?"

"Sirius certainly didn't know my father was alive," Hermione said. "Severus would have spotted it if his memories were falsified. And as for the others, they all seemed to think my father was dead. Plus, no-one but Dumbledore ever visited my father when he was imprisoned."

"So you reckon Dumbledore's kept the truth from everyone," Draco said.

"I do," Hermione replied, nodding as she sat back up. "The question is, does anyone know now he's dead? I think Dumbledore would have made some sort of previsions in case he died. He wouldn't have just done nothing, knowing the wards would drop when he died."

"If someone else knows, why didn't they get to the house before your father escaped?" Draco questioned. "He said he was in a weakened state and it took him a few days to leave the property. Why wasn't someone there as soon as Dumbledore died?"

"I don't know," Hermione murmured thoughtfully as she got up and began to pace the room. "Maybe there's been a delay with his will or something considering he died in custody at the Ministry."

Draco nodded, agreeing that there had possibly been a delay in processing Dumbledore's will due to the circumstances of his death. "We should ask Father, he might be able to help us find out what's going on."

"We'll do that," Hermione said. "We need to know what's going on with the Order now my father is back. Things are certainly going to be different. I don't think we're going to get the peaceful life we were imagining."

"You think there's going to be a war?" Draco asked.

"I hope not," Hermione said quietly as she moved to look out of the window. "I don't want to fight, especially as I don't know what side I would be on."

Getting up from the bed, Draco walked over to where his girlfriend was standing and wrapped his arms around her. Pulling her firmly into his arms, he rested his chin on her shoulder as he waited for her to carry on talking. He understood her worries about a war, and her position in a battle between the light and dark.

"I can't condone what the Order have done to me and my family, and I want nothing to do with them," Hermione finally said. "But I don't support my father's beliefs. If he starts up wanting to rid the world of muggleborns again, I'll not be able to support him. I can't fight for such a cause."

"I know baby," Draco said softly.

"I'm going to be such a disappointment to him," Hermione whispered, admitting to the fear that had been eating at her since she first set eyes on her father.

"You're not," Draco insisted. Turning Hermione round in his arms, he lifted her chin so she was looking up at him. "He loves you, and he'll be so proud of everything you've achieved."

"But he won't like it that I won't support his pureblood ideals," Hermione argued.

"We don't even know if he's still interested in cleansing the wizarding world of muggleborns," Draco pointed out. "He's been a prisoner for a long time, his priorities in life could have drastically changed."

"Maybe," Hermione shrugged. "But if they haven't, there's going to be problems. I'm pretty sure I'm not the daughter he expected to have. I'm not the same as I would have been if I'd been raised with him. I have different viewpoints, and some of them will bring me into conflict with him."

"That still doesn't stop him from loving you," Draco said gently. "You're his daughter, and he'll love you regardless."

"Will he?"

Hermione looked at Draco with such uncertainty in her eyes that he could feel her pain. The fear that the father she'd spent the past year avenging would turn on her and abandon her was evident for him to clearly see. He'd seen her grieve for her parents over the last year, and he didn't know how she would cope if Voldemort now abandoned her.

"I'm scared Draco," Hermione confessed, snuggling into her boyfriend. "I don't want to lose my father again. I don't want him to hate me."

"He won't hate you," Draco said, hoping he was right and he wasn't giving Hermione false hope. "You may have your differences, but he loves you. It's very obvious that you mean the world to him, and I doubt anything can change that."

"I hope you're right," Hermione said quietly. "I've already lost him once, I don't want to lose him again."

Draco held Hermione for several more minutes, before the couple kicked off their shoes and climbed onto the bed. Draco held Hermione in his arms as they continued to talk about her father. Voldemort's return had clearly thrown Hermione, and while she didn't want to lose him again, his reappearance had created some mixed feelings in her. On one hand she was thrilled her father was alive and she now had the chance to get to know him, but on the other hand she was terrified of what his return would mean for the future. She didn't want a war, not to mention the tough decisions she would be forced to make if the worst happened and her father decided that he did.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry Potter took his seat in the pub at Godric's Hollow, ignoring the stares that were coming his way. Sadly, he was getting used to the stares and hateful comments that had started to come his way. Over the last few weeks things had been hard for Harry and his mother, Lily, as people turned on them as the family of James Potter, who people now thought of as a killer.

Following graduation, the focus had been on Dumbledore and his actions, possibly because he was the only person in the memories actually at graduation. However, his death had changed things and when he was no longer around to bear the brunt of people's disgust, attention had turned to the other men in the memories shown at graduation. James especially had come in for some serious stick for killing an innocent woman, and since he was dead, it was his family that had borne the brunt of people's hatred. Harry had lost track of how many people had shouted insults at him and his mother over the last few weeks, and they'd even received a few hateful letters in the mail.

Not that reactions to James's part in the killing of Voldemort and his wife were all the Potters had to worry about. Lily had been questioned by the Ministry several times over her part in what had happened with Athena, and luckily for her, she'd just received an official caution and sentenced to several hours of community service. Molly Weasley had also received the same treatment, although Arthur's fate was still up in the air.

As if thinking of the Weasleys made his best friend appear, Harry spotted Ron entering the pub. Raising his hand, he grabbed Ron's attention and once his friend had grabbed a drink, he joined him at his table. After exchanging greetings, Harry asked Ron how things were going with his family. As well as Arthur's fate hanging in the balance, the Weasleys were battling to save their house from repossession after their investment in the twins shop had gone wrong the previous year. Luckily the twins had managed to hold onto their shop, although their plans to expand the empire had been curtailed.

"We have had some good news," Ron told Harry. "Bill's officially transferred back to this country, and he's bailed Mum and Dad out with the house. At least we won't lose The Burrow now."

"Does that mean he's out of hospital?" Harry asked. Bill had been out of danger for some time now, although he'd been recuperating in hospital.

"Yes, but he's refused to come home," Ron said with a sigh. "Mum's devastated."

"Why's he refusing to come home?" Harry asked with a frown.

"He doesn't approve of what Mum and Dad did with Hermione," Ron admitted. "He's moved in with the twins, and you know their thoughts on the matter."

"I do," Harry replied with a grimace.

Fred and George Weasley had been very vocal in their opinions that what their parents had taken part in had been wrong, and they were disgusted with them. They'd also been pretty emphatic in their opinions that no matter who her parents were, Hermione wasn't evil. They refused to believe she could have been involved in anything that had been happening, and in fact they'd made it clear that they thought she'd been treated appallingly by Harry and Ron, and she hadn't deserved any of the hatred that had come her way at graduation.

"Speaking of your dad, how is he?" Harry asked. After a werewolf attack over Easter, Arthur had been in St Mungo's for months, and he'd only just returned home. Not that it had been a peaceful homecoming as he'd walked straight into the mess with Hermione and found himself under investigation from the Ministry.

"Not very well," Ron admitted with a sigh. "Apart from when he had to go to the Ministry, he won't leave the house. He doesn't want anyone seeing him. Mum's worried that he won't go back to work at all. Providing he's not arrested or sacked."

"Can he afford not to go back to work?" Harry asked gently. He knew the Weasleys had lost a lot of money in the twins shop, and even with Bill's help he was guessing they needed Arthur's wage. Although who knew what would happen if the worst happened and he was charged with his part in Hermione's kidnapping.

"Probably not," Ron answered. "He's on disability for a few more months, so it's not an issue yet, but it soon will be. Although it will be more of an issue if Percy fails to find a job. Mum and Dad need every bit of help they can get at the minute, and Percy being out of a job doesn't help."

"Surely losing an eye is an acceptable reason to be on permanent disability," Harry said. "Isn't that one of the reasons Moody retired as an Auror."

"I think Moody retired because he was nuts," Ron replied. "As for Dad, the Ministry had found he can still do his job with the loss of eye. Since it's mainly a desk job, they won't give him permanent disability. Of course none of this will matter if Dad's charged."

"Is it looking that way?" Harry asked.

"We have no idea, the Ministry are keeping things close to their chest," Ron replied. "Mum's hoping that the fact they're still paying Dad's disability pay is a good sign."

"I hope so," Harry said, offering his friend a smile.

"So how are things for you at home?" Ron asked, eager to change the subject away from his family's problems. Not that Harry was problem free due to the abuse he and Lily were receiving, not to mention the tensions that existed between mother and son since graduation.

Harry shrugged as he took a long gulp of his beer. "Just the same. I don't want to leave Mum, but things just aren't the same between us anymore. I just can't trust her."

"I know the feeling," Ron muttered in agreement. "I can't forgive my parents for not telling me the truth about Hermione. They sat back and let me get involved with her, knowing all along that she was daughter of that bastard."

"Speaking of Hermione, it doesn't look like our plan worked," Harry said. "She hasn't written back to us."

"At least it means we can drop the act of being okay with who she is," Ron said, trying to look on the positive side of things. It would have been immensely helpful to get closer to Hermione again and work out what she was planning, but he had to admit he was also relieved that he wouldn't have to see her again and act as though he cared about her.

"That is a relief," harry admitted. "But I would still rather our plan had worked. I still don't believe she's going just sit back and do nothing. She was behind everything that happened last year, and I really wanted to prove that. Maybe then people would see how dangerous she truly is."

"She'll show her true colours eventually," Ron replied confidently. "And when she does, we'll be waiting."

* * *

 _ **G.O.V.**_

* * *

Remus Lupin settled down on the comfortable sofa in the Longbottoms front room as he thanked Alice for a lovely dinner. Frank and Alice had invited Remus for dinner so they could discuss recent events. Over dinner they'd discussed what was happening with the Weasleys and Potters, and how they all felt to have escaped the Ministry's attention as of yet. The memories that had been shown at graduation had only implicated those who knew the full truth about Athena, but they suspected that before long everyone associated with the Order would be questioned as it was obvious they'd all known about the plan to kidnap Athena.

The Longbottoms son, Neville, who'd just been accepted as a trainee Herbologist at a top wizarding horticultural firm, had joined the adults for dinner and shared his views before heading out to see some friends. He was adamant that Hermione was innocent of the things Harry and Ron were accusing her of. He was equally as adamant that Hermione was a good person and that she was still his friend, and when he got the chance he was going to make sure she knew that she still had his love and support.

"So what do you think, Remus?" Frank asked, now they were alone and Neville had left. "Are we in danger? Or is Neville right, and Hermione is no threat?""

"Honestly, I have no idea," Remus admitted with a sigh. "I've known Hermione since she started school, and she's a lovely girl. However, recent events could possibly have changed all that. She's just had a horrific shock, and who knows what that'll lead to."

"But do you think she's capable of the darkness her father was?" Alice questioned.

"I would say that the girl I know wasn't capable of evil," Remus replied. "But that girl hadn't just discovered she'd been betrayed by everyone she trusted. That will obviously have some sort of effect on her."

"It's had an effect on all of us," Frank said wearily. "Apart from a small group, we've all been lied to by Dumbledore."

"Some of us were even lied to by our best friends," Remus added quietly.

Dumbledore's lies had stung, but the fact that James, Sirius and Lily had been in on the lies hurt Remus even more. His best friends had lied to him and kept him in the dark, and he was saddened by their betrayal. He'd spoken to Lily once since events at graduation, but he found that at the minute he was still too hurt to listen to her try and defend their actions.

"I'm sure this is worse for you," Alice said sympathetically. "The Potters and Weasleys are our friends, but we're not close to them like you were with the Potters and Sirius."

"I don't know what's worse, Dumbledore's deception or my friends," Remus admitted. "I know the majority of responsibility lands on Dumbledore, but my friends still chose to lie to me."

"I think unfortunately, we all have to shoulder some responsibility for what happened," Frank said. He was already preparing himself to face up to his part in proceedings and admit he was complicit in a kidnapping. "The entire Order were in agreement to kidnap Athena. We're all to blame for that, Dumbledore just made things worse."

"It's all the fault of that damn prophecy," Alice said softly. "If we hadn't had that prophecy, we never would have snatched Athena."

Frank and Remus nodded in agreement. While the Order would have always been cautious of Voldemort having a child, they might not have reacted the way they had if it hadn't been for the prophecy. It was the threat of the prophecy that had prompted them to remove Athena from her parents and away from any contact with Draco.

"And just think, it was all in vain anyway," Frank muttered scathingly, his anger at Dumbledore evident in his voice. "Athena is still with Draco, and who knows what's going to happen now."

"Dumbledore should never have allowed her to go to Hogwarts," Alice said vehemently. "After all we did to get her away from Draco, it was foolish and reckless to let her go to school with the boy."

"Especially since he never told the staff," Remus added. "If he'd told us what was going on we might have been able to keep them apart."

"Are you saying that they spent time together in school?" Frank asked in amazement.

"I paired them together in a few lessons," Remus admitted. "I wouldn't have if I'd known the situation, but I thought Hermione was a normal muggleborn witch."

"Why did you pair them together?" Alice asked.

"Ability," Remus answered. "Hermione and Draco were by far the two brightest students in their year, it made sense to pair them together when it was required to partner students. And I wasn't the only Professor that did that. I know Minerva paired them together, as did Severus."

"So, they've had a chance to get to know one another," Frank stated in disbelief. "I can't believe Dumbledore would allow such a thing."

"Anyone would think he was wanting the prophecy to come true," Alice added.

"I just don't think he'd thought it through," Remus said. "I'm sure if he was here, he would swear Hermione and Draco hadn't developed some sort of friendship. But the truth is, he couldn't possibly keep an eye on them all the time. They were paired together in several classes, and they both took classes like Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, which none of Hermione's friends took. Who knows what happened in those classes. It's just impossible to say how much time they spent together and how well they knew each other." Remus paused and mulled over the other thought in his head, before deciding he should share it with Frank and Alice. "Of course, there is another explanation regarding his lax attitude towards the pair possibly getting close."

"Another explanation?" Frank frowned. "What would that be?"

"I know this is going to sound crazy, but what if there was no prophecy." Remus held up his hand to stop Frank and Alice from jumping in before he'd finished. "Think about it. Dumbledore came to us and told us of the prophecy, he then told us Voldemort had a daughter after he supposedly captured a Death Eater. No-one but him saw the Death Eater, so no-one can back up what was said. We all just believed Dumbledore without question."

"And it was the prophecy that persuaded us to target Voldemort in his own home," Frank said, thinking back on past events. "Dumbledore kept suggesting it, and we kept dismissing it. Grabbing Athena was the perfect excuse to attack Voldemort in his own home."

"I admit, the prophecy was what prompted us to attack, but Dumbledore couldn't have made it up," Alice said. "We heard the prophecy before we found out Voldemort had a child, and before the Malfoys had Draco. Dumbledore couldn't have known about Athena, or that the Malfoys would call their son Draco."

"Athena had actually been born when Dumbledore told us about the prophecy," Remus pointed out. "For all we know, Dumbledore knew about her from the minute she was born."

"But he couldn't possibly have known the Malfoys were going to have a son called Draco," Alice argued. "He couldn't have known to make-up the part of the prophecy about ruling with her dragon at her side."

"Actually he might," Frank said quietly. As the conversation had been going on, he'd been thinking and an old conversation had entered his mind. "When Dumbledore first told us about the prophecy, Narcissa would have been pregnant. We were also expecting at the time, and I can remember having a conversation with Andromeda. She was asking me about names for the baby, and I said we hadn't talked about it yet. She told me that she and Narcissa had spoken about names for their babies when they were still children. At the time Andromeda was still planning on following the Black tradition, as was Narcissa obviously. Andromeda said she liked a few names but Narcissa was picky. The only name she liked for a boy was Draco."

"And Dumbledore heard this conversation?" Remus asked.

"I can't remember him being around, but it wasn't private," Frank replied. "At one point James was there as was Arthur. Dumbledore could very well have overheard the conversation and knew Narcissa was planning on calling her son Draco."

"Dumbledore still couldn't have been sure the Malfoys would have a boy," Alice said. Even though Dumbledore had done a lot of questionable things, she didn't want to believe he would make up a fake prophecy.

"Actually, he might have been able to," Frank said. "The Malfoys probably have a charm on them so their first born is always a son. It ensures that the family name doesn't die out. A lot of old pureblood families have charms like that on them, and I would bet the Malfoys have one."

"They wouldn't want their name dying out," Remus said.

"But none of this is proof of anything," Alice reminded the two men. "It's all just conjecture, and the only man who could tell us the truth us dead. The prophecy might be fake, but on the other hand it could be real. And if it's real, we could be in serious trouble. Athena is now with the Malfoys, plus she's hurt and angry, that could be a lethal combination."

Remus nodded in agreement with Alice's assessment. "Alice is right, we can't assume the prophecy is fake. We all need to be on our guard. Hopefully Hermione will leave things as they are and move on with her life, but we can't rule out the possibility that all this has triggered something in her and brought about a change of personality. Let's just hope that if the prophecy is true, we haven't helped fulfil it rather than stop it."


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione paced the floor in front of the spare room where her father was residing. It had been two days since Lucius had summoned them back to the manor, and in that time Hermione had only seen Voldemort that one time. Lucius and Narcissa had both visited with her father several times a day, and even Draco had spoken to him the previous day. Voldemort had also seen Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Severus. Severus had come to the manor as soon as Lucius had informed him of the situation whereas Bellatrix and Rodolphus were staying at the manor and were therefore aware of what was going on. Hermione, however, had failed to go back and speak to her father, until she found herself pacing up and down in front of his door, willing herself to pluck up the courage to go inside.

After another couple of minutes pacing, Hermione pushed open the bedroom door and quietly entered the room. Voldemort was lying in the bed, but the second he saw Hermione he managed to sit up and smile widely at his daughter.

"Athena. I was beginning to think I wouldn't be seeing you again."

"I'm sorry, but all this has been a bit of a shock," Hermione said quietly as she sat down on the chair beside Voldemort's bed. "I'm still trying to get my head around everything."

"I understand," Voldemort replied with a subtle nod of his head. "I don't expect us to be close right away, but I would like to build a relationship with you."

"I'd like that as well," Hermione admitted. "Although I fear, I'm not what you'll be hoping for."

"I don't have any preconceptions about what you're like," Voldemort said. "I know what I would expect you to be like had your mother and I raised you, but I understand that you've been raised very differently."

"I have. I was raised by muggles," Hermione replied, watching Voldemort for his reaction when she mentioned her parents. She had expected some sort of adverse reaction to the mention of her muggle heritage, but her father merely nodded in understanding.

"I know how you were raised Athena," Voldemort chuckled. "I'm not going to pretend to like it, but it's not something I have any control over. It's just another way Dumbledore made me suffer."

"I just want you to know that I love my parents," Hermione said. "I want to get to know you and find out more about my mother, but the Grangers raised me and they love me. I will not be abandoning them."

Hermione noted a very brief tensing of Voldemort's jaw before he nodded once. He clearly wasn't happy about her continued association with her parents, but they were something she wasn't prepared to give up. As much as she wanted a relationship with Voldemort, he was going to discover that she was very much her own person and she couldn't be ordered around. She would live her life the way she wanted to, and if he wanted to get to know her he would have to accept things the way they were.

"I spoke to Draco yesterday," Voldemort said, changing the subject before he said something he might regret. "I like him."

"That's good considering you bonded us when we were children," Hermione retorted.

Voldemort chuckled at the fire his daughter was showing, she definitely wasn't someone to be messed with. "Are you against the bond?"

"Would it matter if I was?" Hermione questioned. "Luckily, I'm not against the bond. I love Draco."

"He seems to have his future all mapped out," Voldemort remarked. "He can certainly provide for you."

"I don't need someone to provide for me," Hermione snorted. "I can provide for myself."

"And how are you planning on doing that?" Voldemort questioned.

"Yesterday I was looking through the family's safe box again and I found the deeds to a small potions company. I want to look into it and see if we still own it," Hermione answered. "If it's still ours, I'd like to try and see if I can get it up and running again."

"Get Lucius to check it out," Voldemort told his daughter. "I can't see why we shouldn't still own the company. But are you sure that's what you want to do?"

"Yes," Hermione confirmed. "Unless you have a problem with that?"

"You do what you want, Athena," Voldemort said encouragingly. "I'm not going to stand in your way."

"Thank you, I appreciate that," Hermione said, smiling at her father.

"Now we've got that sorted, why don't you tell me a bit more about your life," Voldemort suggested. "I want to know what I've missed out on."

Hermione agreed, and after warning Voldemort not to make disparaging remarks about her parents she began to tell him about her life. Hermione talked for nearly an hour as she filled Voldemort in on the years he missed of her life. Of course Hermione couldn't cover every aspect of her life, but she covered the basics and she hoped they had plenty of time to talk in depth as her father got better and regained his strength and magic.

"Will you tell me more about you?" Hermione asked.

"Of course," Voldemort replied. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Hermione replied with a chuckle. "But I know we can't cover everything in one talk. For now, can you tell me more about these Horcruxes that kept you alive?"

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather we talked about your mother?" Voldemort questioned. He knew he would have to talk to Hermione about every aspect of his past, but he had hoped to discuss easier things first.

"I want to know all about her, but for now I need to understand how you're still alive," Hermione said.

"The story goes back to when I was still at school," Voldemort began. "As you know the dark arts have always fascinated me. I found a book that contained brief mention of Horcruxes. I spoke to a Professor and got some more information."

"A Professor told you about dark magic?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"Slughorn was easy to manipulate," Voldemort answered with a chuckle. "He was Head of Slytherin, and had his own little group of favourite students. The Slug Club was made up of smart students, and students Slughorn thought could be useful to him. I was one of the top students, so I was a member of his little group. A bit of flattery about how knowledgeable he was had Slughorn telling me everything he knew about Horcruxes."

Voldemort then spent the next ten minutes explaining to Hermione about Horcruxes. By the time he'd finished, Hermione understood everything there was to know about Horcruxes, including how they worked and how they were made.

"How many of these Horcruxes do you have?"

"Several," Voldemort replied. "In actual fact, I'll need someone to check on them. I very much doubt Dumbledore was idle these past eighteen years. There's a good chance he's destroyed the odd one or two."

"If you let me know what they are and where I'll find them, I'll check on them for you," Hermione offered. She wasn't sure what she felt about the Horcruxes, but if they kept her father alive she would do whatever it took to keep them out of the hands of the Order.

"One is a locket, which I kept in our family's safe box," Voldemort said. "If you have the box, you've got the locket. Another is an old diary, which is right here at the manor. Lucius should know where it is. I also gave Bellatrix a cup for her to keep safe. There's a ring, I hid at my old ancestral home and a diadem that's at Hogwarts."

"I would say the ring and diadem could possibly be what Dumbledore might have been able to destroy," Hermione mused thoughtfully. "The other three should be safely hidden where you left them. I'll try and check on everything as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Athena," Voldemort said, smiling at his daughter. He could see she wasn't entirely comfortable with his past actions, but he suspected that given time she could quite possibly come to make peace with the way he lived his life. She also had the potential to be every bit as dark and dangerous as him, and Voldemort intended to encourage that potential.

"How did Dumbledore know about your Horcruxes?" Hermione asked. "No-one else seems to have known, so how did he?"

"I've had a long time to think about that, and I think I have the answer," Voldemort replied. "Your mother knew about the Horcruxes, but she would never have betrayed me by talking to Dumbledore. Which leaves Slughorn as the only other person I mentioned them to. I'm not sure why he would tell Dumbledore about one conversation we had, but he has to have done. Dumbledore must have gotten his information from Slughorn."

"But that conversation isn't proof that you had Horcruxes," Hermione argued.

"Dumbledore may have been an old fool, but unfortunately he understood me all too well. He knew I wouldn't have mentioned something like Horcruxes to Slughorn if I hadn't been planning on using the knowledge somehow."

"Sneaky old bugger," Hermione muttered.

"Although until you've checked the Horcruxes, I have no idea if he was ever able to locate any of them," Voldemort said. "For all I know, he's drawn a blank. He never spoke to me about them, so I don't know what he knows."

"That could mean he knew nothing, so he had nothing to say," Hermione suggested. "Or it could mean, he was saying nothing to keep you wondering. He might have hoped to find and destroy them all before confronting you and killing you."

"From what I read about Horcruxes, I wouldn't know if only a couple were destroyed," Voldemort said. "However, the fewer I have the more connected I become to them and the more I can feel if they're destroyed. That's how I know he could only have gotten his hands on a couple at the most."

"Don't worry, no-one else will get their hands on any of the others," Hermione vowed as she stood up. "I won't lose you again."

"I'm not going anywhere, Athena," Voldemort said, taking hold of Hermione's hand. "I promise."

Hermione smiled down at Voldemort as she bent over and brushed a kiss on his forehead. "Get some rest. I'll be back to see you later."

"No more avoiding me?" Voldemort questioned.

"No more avoiding you," Hermione promised. "I want to get to know you, and I can't do that if I avoid you. I'll be back later, I promise."

Hermione gave Voldemort one final smile, before turning and exiting the spare room. Heading downstairs, she went looking for Lucius. She wanted to talk to him about the Horcruxes, but she also wanted to ask about Dumbledore, as well as seeing if he could make some enquiries about the potions company she'd found her family owned. Hermione found Lucius in his study, where he welcomed her into his office and urged her to take a seat.

"There's a few things I want to discuss with you," Hermione said, skipping straight to the reason why she'd sought her boyfriend's father out.

"I'm here to help," Lucius said as he retook his seat behind his desk.

"First of all my father wants me to check on his Horcruxes, I was hoping you would help me," Hermione said, explaining exactly what Voldemort had told her.

"You have the safe box to check for the locket, but if that's where he put it that's where it'll be," Lucius answered as he got to his feet and crossed over to a picture on the far wall. Swinging the picture away from the wall, he revealed a safe that he opened with his wand. "And here is the diary your father gave to me," he said, pulling the old book out of his safe and showing it to Hermione. "We can talk to Bellatrix about the cup, Severus might be able to help us with the diadem and we can look for the ring ourselves."

"Thank you Lucius," Hermione said, watching as Lucius locked the dairy back up securely in the safe. "I also want you to check out a potions company my family owns. I found the documentation yesterday, but I need to know what sort of state the company is in, and even if we still own it."

"Give me the details and I'll check everything out for you," Lucius said. "Are you thinking of running the company?"

"If we still own it and I think I can make a success of it," Hermione replied.

"I'll give you whatever help I can, and we do happen to know a potions expert," Lucius said. "Severus could be immensely helpful to you if you want to make the company a success."

"Do you think he would come and work with me?" Hermione asked. She would be more than willing to offer Severus a slice of the company if he could help her turn it into a thriving business.

"I think it's a definite possibility. Severus isn't the biggest fan of teaching, he only stayed on at the school as I thought it would be handy to have someone close to Dumbledore," Lucius replied. "Once I've found out what sort of state the business is in, you should definitely consider asking for his help."

"I will," Hermione said with a firm nod. "And the last thing I want help with is Dumbledore. Did you manage to find out anything about his will?"

Hermione and Draco had spoken to Lucius a few hours after they'd had the discussion over Dumbledore informing the rest of the Order about Voldemort. Lucius had agreed to look into it and see if he could find out what was happening with the former headmaster's will.

"Because Dumbledore died in the Ministry's care it's taken a while to get everything sorted. I spoke to Fudge this morning, and the will is currently being processed," Lucius answered. "Luckily Fudge is quite chatty, and he told me most of Dumbledore's estate passes to his brother, Aberforth. There's a few personal bequests, but according to Ministry records he doesn't own any property, so I'm not sure what will happen about the house your father was being kept in. My guess is, there's something in the personal bequests that will reveal the truth to the Order, but unfortunately for them it's too late."

"Surely Dumbledore would have known my father would have escaped before his will was processed," Hermione argued. "He wouldn't risk my father escaping before the Order discovered he was alive."

"You're forgetting that he didn't know he was going to die in the Ministry," Lucius said. "In normal circumstances, his will would have been processed within twenty-four hours. Because of your father's weakened condition, he wouldn't have been able to escape in such a short time period. Dumbledore would have known that."

"Do you think we can find the cottage ourselves?" Hermione asked after agreeing that Lucius was right about Dumbledore's will. "I think we need to know if the Order are aware that my father is still alive."

"I'll see what I can do, but we'll have to move carefully," Lucius said. "We don't want to alert the Order to what's going on if they don't already know. And even if they do, we don't want them to know that we know that they know about your father. We need to keep them thinking they've got the element of surprise."

"That's an awful lot to think about," Hermione muttered, her head still whirling from trying to follow Lucius and his tongue twisting speech.

"Just leave everything to me," Lucius said with a smile. "You just enjoy getting to know your father. I've got everything under control."

* * *

 **A/N - In case I've got people reading this story who aren't reading Shattered Trust, I just want to inform them of a new collection I am planning. It is revisiting old stories and writing a piece set however many years after the end of the story. The idea is to tie up some loose ends, and explore questions that were never fully answered, and even just to catch-up on how things progressed for the characters. So if there is any story you want to know more about - or a question you never got answered in a story - send me a message and I will make a note of the ideas and try my best to write them all.**


	5. Chapter 5

Draco returned from seeing his friends to find Hermione sitting out on the balcony attached to his bedroom. Draco had spent most of the afternoon with Blaise and Theo, catching up with what his friends had been up to since he'd last seen them a few weeks earlier. Obviously he wasn't able to tell them about Voldemort returning, but he had been able to tell his friends about his plans for the future.

"You're back," Hermione said, even though she didn't turn her eyes away from the view of the back gardens of the manor. She'd heard Draco enter the room, and knew he was the only person that would come into the bedroom without first knocking.

"I am," Draco replied as he settled down in the second chair on the balcony.

"How are Blaise and Theo?"

"They're good," Draco answered. "Blaise has just signed a contract with a professional quidditch team, and Theo is joining the Ministry to train to be a lawyer. Blaise also mentioned that both Potter and Weasley got picked up by quidditch teams. Although how Weasley managed that, I don't know. Even without my interference, he was rubbish at quidditch."

Hermione nodded absentmindedly, but Draco wasn't sure she'd really listened to his answer. His girlfriend seemed a lot more distracted than she'd been when he left earlier that afternoon, and he had to wonder what had happened since he'd gone out. Had she received some bad news, or had she had an argument with her father? Draco knew Hermione hadn't seen Voldemort since their initial meeting with him, but he also knew she was mentally preparing herself to face her father.

"I went to talk to my father today," Hermione suddenly offered, answering Draco's question before he'd had time to ask it.

"How did it go?" Draco asked.

"Better than I expected," Hermione admitted with a small smile.

"Did you discuss anything interesting?"

"You mean, did we discuss you?" Hermione laughed, turning her full attention to her boyfriend. "Don't worry, my father approves of you. Not that there's anything he could do about it if he didn't."

"It's good to know your father likes me, but I wasn't actually talking about me," Draco said. "I was just asking if you talked about anything personal. I know you've been worried that he won't approve of you."

"He says all he wants is for me to be happy, but I think it's easier for him to say that than admit things are going to be tricky between us in certain areas," Hermione said. "He's clearly uncomfortable with the fact I still see my parents and that I love them, but for the time being he's keeping quiet on the subject."

"You think that's going to change," Draco stated.

Hermione nodded in response. "I think a lot will change when he's well enough to get up out of bed. When he's back to full strength and making plans for the future, that's when we'll see just how difficult things are going to be. I'm hoping that by then we have a good relationship, so I won't be too much of a disappointment to him."

"Is he planning on taking up where he left off?" Draco questioned. He knew Hermione's feelings about what her father had tried to achieve before his supposed death, and he knew she would never support him in any attempt to cleanse the wizarding world of muggleborns.

"I'm not sure," Hermione replied. "But he has asked me to check on his Horcruxes. He wants to know just how much damage Dumbledore managed to do to him."

"It sounds to me like he's still mulling his options over," Draco remarked.

"That's the impression I got," Hermione said. "To be honest I think his actions will be determined by the Order. Lucius thinks Dumbledore will have told someone about my father in his will, but with the way he died, it's all still being processed. However, chances are the Order are soon going to know my father is back. From there we just have to see what happens next."

"And what will you do if the Order declare war on your father?" Draco asked. Hermione had proven the previous year that she'd do anything for people she loved, and he didn't for one minute think she would abandon her father if the Order were gunning for him.

"I'll fight," Hermione answered simply. "I will not fight for pureblood rights, or any of the other bigoted nonsense my father believed in. However, I will fight for the people I love. I will not let the Order destroy my family yet again."

"And I will be right by your side," Draco vowed, taking hold of Hermione's hand and pressing his lips against the back of it. "Whatever happens, you're not alone."

Hermione smiled at Draco as she leaned over and gently brushed her lips over his. "I know, and I love you for it."

"Will you want help checking out your father's Horcruxes?" Draco asked as the couple headed indoors and shut the window that led out onto the balcony.

"I would appreciate that," Hermione replied. "I've made a note of where my father said I could find things, it's on your desk. Your father's also offered to help us."

Draco headed over to his desk, where he easily found the slip of parchment Hermione had jotted her notes down on. She'd noted what each Horcrux was and where her father had left them. The diary was already ticked off, which Draco assumed meant that she'd already checked the diary and found it was safe.

"Hopefully it shouldn't take long to track this stuff down," Draco said. Aside from the ring and diadem, the others should be extremely easy to check on.

"Let's hope not," Hermione said. "Once I've done that, I want to start thinking about the potions company. It's probably going to need a lot of work to turn into what I have in mind."

"If anyone can do it, you can do it," Draco said as he dropped the parchment back onto his desk. He knew all about the potions company Hermione had found the deeds for and was hoping to take over, and he had no doubts that she would turn it into a thriving business in no time.

While Hermione chattered on about the potions company, Draco took a few minutes to straighten his desk up. He hadn't really used the desk for months, so it was a bit of a mess. As he tidied up, he found a small pile of post. The post had clearly arrived while he and Hermione were in Sardinia and the elves had just left it on the desk. However, since his friends knew he'd gone away and his parents were at home, he doubted any of the mail was important. Sure enough when he checked through the mail, the majority was junk mail. The only exception was a letter addressed to Hermione, which Draco had a vague recollection of it coming just before they went away.

"There's still a letter here for you," Draco said to his girlfriend. "I think it's the one that came before we went away."

"It'll probably be from my parents," Hermione answered with a shrug, before she paused and a frown formed on her features. "Although I saw them before we went away and they never mentioned a letter, and they haven't mentioned one since."

"Why don't you open it and see who it's off," Draco suggested, tossing the letter to Hermione as he dumped the rest of the post into the bin.

"Shit," Hermione cursed when she saw the envelope.

"What?" Draco was at Hermione's side in a flash, wondering what was wrong.

"This is Harry's handwriting," Hermione answered. When she opened the envelope, she was confronted with two separate pieces of parchment.

"Potter's writing to you?" Draco frowned, wondering what exactly was going on.

"Not just Harry, Ron too," Hermione said, indicating the two separate letters. "Now be quiet for a few minutes, while I see what they have to say for themselves."

Hermione settled down to read the letters, fully expecting to read more hatred from her former friends. After seventh year and graduation she knew her friends hated her, and after their actions she had to admit the feeling was rather mutual. She may have sought revenge on their families for their actions, but Harry and Ron had wanted to kill her the second they knew she existed and that hadn't changed when they discovered who she was. All they'd been bothered about was the fact they'd unknowingly been friends with Voldemort's daughter.

However, Hermione got a surprise when she started Harry's letter and found a grovelling apology rather that the hatred she expected. Harry begged for her forgiveness, claiming that he'd just been in shock at graduation and hadn't meant anything he'd done or said. Ron's letter was very much the same, blaming his shock at the revelations for his poor reaction to the news of her true identity. Ron even claimed that he still loved her, and would give anything for a second chance with her.

"What do the dense duo have to say for themselves?" Draco asked, once he was sure Hermione had finished both letters.

"They're apologising," Hermione said, letting Draco see the letters for himself.

"I don't believe the nerve of those two," Draco muttered darkly as he scanned the letters. When he read the part where Ron professed his love for Hermione, he let out a low growl and almost tore the letter to shreds.

"Don't get so touchy, Draco," Hermione said, plucking the letters from her boyfriend's hands and placing them safely on the bedside table.

"I'm going to kill that Weasel," Draco seethed. "He treated you appallingly, he even hit you, and he thinks an apology will make things right. Both him and Potter are crazy."

"No, they're not crazy," Hermione said thoughtfully as she got up and slowly paced the floor in front of the bed. "What they are is cunning."

"Cunning?" Draco raised a questioning eyebrow at his girlfriend's description of the pair. He could think of a lot of things to call them, but cunning wouldn't make his list.

"These aren't genuine apologies, Draco," Hermione said, tapping the letters with her fingers. "Harry and Ron are up to something, and they must think they need to apologise and get me on side if they want to achieve it."

"How do you know the apologies aren't genuine?" Draco asked. "Potter and Weasley might just be deluded enough to think you would forgive them for what they said to you."

"Harry and Ron will never regret what they said at graduation," Hermione insisted. "Ever since they found out I existed, all they could talk about was wanting Athena dead. They spent months hating me, only to find out I was within their grasp the entire time. They wouldn't trust me after all that, no matter how long I'd been friends with them. They hate me, and that hasn't changed."

"So what, the letters are a trap?" Draco questioned.

"Quite possibly," Hermione said with a nod. "Harry and Ron are up to something, and I intend to find out what."

"And how do you intend to do that?" Draco asked as Hermione made her way to his desk and began messing it up as she rummaged for parchment and a quill.

"By replying and playing along with their little game," Hermione answered. "I'm supposed to be upset that my friends turned on me, so writing back won't seem strange."

"And what about the fact you received the letter weeks ago?" Draco asked. "How are you going to explain the delay in replying?"

"I'll just say I was mulling things over," Hermione said as she sat down to write a letter to Harry and Ron. "The fact it's taken me a few weeks to return their letter shouldn't matter. I am after all the injured party. Answering them and potentially forgiving them, needed some thought."

"And what happens if they want to meet?" Draco asked.

Hermione turned round and smiled reassuringly at her boyfriend. "I have it on good authority that I don't have to do anything alone. If I meet them, you're coming with me. Trust me Draco, we want to know what they're up to."

Turning back to the desk, Hermione finished composing a letter to Harry and Ron. She kept the letter brief, explaining that she'd needed time to think after receiving their unexpected letter. She'd reiterated how heartbroken she'd been to have her friends turn on her, before admitting she wanted to try and salvage their friendship, if it was at all possible.

Satisfied the letter would make Harry and Ron think they were achieving their goals, Hermione sent it off with Draco's owl. Now all she had to do was sit back and wait and see if she heard from Harry and Ron again. With a bit of luck, they'd write back soon and she could set about finding out what the pair were up to. She didn't like the idea of the pair of them plotting away somewhere, it would make her feel a whole lot better if she could get a grasp on what they were planning. Maybe then she could thwart any plans they made, before the duo did anything that would hurt her and ruin her life.


	6. Chapter 6

After an exhausting afternoon training session with their respective quidditch teams, Harry and Ron met up to compare notes. Both wizards had been signed for different teams, and to play different positions, so they knew their experiences wouldn't be the same. However, one thing they both had in common was that the position they played only had one spot open on the team, meaning they had to be the best if they wanted first team action.

Despite the tensions between Harry and his mother, he was still living at home with Lily. Not only was he concerned about her following the hate they were receiving, but he knew she was still grieving for James. Although he too was still getting over his father's death, and it hadn't helped witnessing him killing someone. On a whole, Harry tended to focus on the good Dumbledore had done by getting rid of Voldemort, but sometimes late at night when he couldn't sleep, he was haunted by images of his father killing The Dark Lord's wife. Not that he didn't think she deserved it, as like Athena, he believed she was trouble and the world would be better off without her. After all, what sort of witch married a dark wizard like Voldemort?

"Have you heard anything from Hermione?" Ron asked as he and Harry relaxed in the Potters back garden.

"No," Harry replied. "I think you're right, we're not going to hear from her."

"Are you still disappointed by that?" Ron checked.

"Sort of," Harry admitted. "I wasn't looking forward to our plan of pretending to forgive her, but it was the only one we had."

"I'm sure we'll come up with something else," Ron said. "As we've always said, she'll show herself for the dark witch she is, sooner or later."

"I would rather it be sooner," Harry replied. "That way we can get some support. I'm sick of everyone treating us as though we're in the wrong."

"Tell me about it," Ron grumbled. "I'm sick of the twins giving me dirty looks. The other day Fred even had the audacity to ask me if I'd apologised to Hermione for hitting her. How can no-one else see that's she's trouble? How can they not see she's behind everything that happened last year?"

"I'm getting sick of everyone treating her like the victim," Harry agreed. "She's got everyone wrapped around her little finger. They all think she's so perfect."

"I just don't get how they can consider her dangerous enough to snatch as a baby, but yet think she's an angel now she's fully grown," Ron remarked.

"She's certainly got everyone fooled," Harry replied. "But not us. Even if we have to fight her alone, Ron, we will. We won't let her evil prevail."

"No, we won't," Ron agreed. "But since there's nothing we can do about her right this moment, why don't we forget about her."

"Sounds good to me," Harry replied. "How's your training going? Is it hard? I have to admit, playing quidditch professionally is harder work than I thought."

"I know, I'm always knackered after training," Ron admitted. "Do you think they're pushing us so hard because we're new?"

"More than likely," Harry agreed with a nod.

For the next hour the boys compared notes on their training regimes, before it began to get chilly and they headed into the house. Lily was busy in the kitchen making dinner, and after checking Ron was staying, she sent the boys into the front room to relax. Harry and Ron had barely settled down on the sofa when an elegant eagle owl tapped on the front window.

"Bloody hell, its Malfoy's bird," Ron declared as Harry got up to open the window.

The second Harry had the letter from around the owl's leg, it soared back into the sky and took off. Closing the window behind the owl, Harry took the letter over to where Ron was eagerly waiting. Even though they'd given up on hearing from Hermione, a letter delivered courtesy of Malfoy's owl could only have come from her as rumour had it she was still ensconced at Malfoy Manor.

"Well?" Ron asked, straining to see the envelope. "Is it from her?"

"It's her writing," Harry replied.

"Open it and we'll see what she has to say."

Following Ron's instructions, Harry tore into the envelope and pulled out the short letter Hermione had written to them. Opening the letter up, he laid it on the coffee table and together, he and Ron read what their former friend had to say in response to their letter.

 ** _Dear Harry and Ron,_**

 ** _I'm sorry for taking so long to write back, but I was rather shocked to receive communication from the pair of you. Truth be told, it took me a long time to decide what I should say to you both. I won't lie, your words and actions at graduation broke my heart, and I'm still upset over the entire incident. Graduation was quite possibly the most traumatic moment of my life, and at a time when I really needed my friends, you abandoned me. However, we were friends for a long time and your friendship meant a lot to me. I don't know if it's possible, but I would like to try and salvage our friendship. If you're still up for it, I would very much consider meeting with you and discussing things face to face. Let me know what you decide. I hope to hear from you soon._**

 ** _Love, Hermione._**

"What do you think?" Harry asked, turning to his best friend. "Has she fallen for it, or is this a trap?"

"I don't know," Ron admitted. "I think we're going to have to see her face to face to work out what's going on. But even if it is a trap, we'll be prepared."

"Yes, we will be," Harry agreed. "So, you think we should meet her?"

"Wasn't that the whole idea?" Ron questioned. "It's not as if we truly trust her or anything, all we have to do is convince her of that. Even a few months could be long enough for us to prove she was behind everything that happened last year."

"True." Harry jumped to his feet as he folded the letter and stuffed it in his pocket. "I'll go and write a quick letter back, saying we still want to meet up. Do you think I should suggest a time and place, or should I leave it up to her?"

"Suggest a time and a place," Ron replied. "Make it over the weekend, and make it public."

"Don't worry Ron, I'm not stupid enough to agree to meet her in private," Harry responded with a snort. "I'll be two minutes."

Rushing off upstairs, Harry quickly composed a letter to Hermione arranging a time for them to meet up. Once he'd sent Hedwig off with the letter, he placed the letter they'd received off Hermione in his desk drawer. As he left his bedroom, he heard a knock on the front door and he was halfway down the stairs when his mother answered the door to reveal the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, on the doorstep.

"Mr Fudge, what can we do for you?" Lily asked warily. Even though the Ministry had said they weren't pushing for further charges regarding Athena's kidnapping, she was terrified that Lucius Malfoy would exert pressure on the Ministry and they would change their minds.

"I've came to see Harry," Fudge replied, looking past Lily and spotting Harry standing near the bottom of the stairs.

"Then you better come in, Minister," Harry said. Walking down the final few steps, he turned and headed into the front room, aware that his mother had let Fudge into the house.

"What's wrong?" Ron demanded as they entered the front room. "Is it Dad? Have you charged him?"

"The decision on your father is still pending with further investigations ongoing," Fudge replied. "I'm here to speak to Mr Potter. Although, I was hoping to do so alone." He'd noticed that Lily had also entered the room, and didn't look as though she planned on going anywhere.

"You can speak in front of Mum and Ron," Harry answered.

Fudge nodded, but didn't argue as he got to the point of his visit. "As you know Albus Dumbledore died in our custody recently. Because of the circumstances of his death, his will and his personal affects have taken time to be processed. The final documents were filed this afternoon, and I've came to deliver a letter found in his possession. It's addressed to you, Mr Potter."

"Dumbledore left me a letter in his will?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

"No, the letter isn't part of his will," Fudge replied. "It was with his personal belongings. It looks as though he wrote it before he died and just didn't have a chance to mail it."

"But I saw him the day he died, why didn't he just tell me what he wanted to there and then?" Harry frowned.

"The only person who can answer that is no longer with us," Fudge said as he reached into his robes and pulled out a cream envelope, which he handed over to Harry.

"What's in the letter?" Harry asked, glaring at the Minister. He didn't think for one minute that the Ministry hadn't opened the letter.

"I have no idea," Fudge responded, looking highly affronted by the implication that he would read someone else's mail. "The Ministry is not in the habit of reading personal correspondence. The letter has not been opened since Albus sealed it. Its contents are for your eyes, and I respect the privacy of citizens."

"Of course you do, Minister," Lily said, jumping in to smooth things over. "We're very grateful you delivered the letter, aren't we Harry?"

"Yes," Harry replied, forcing himself to smile at Fudge when his mother glared at him.

"As I say, I'm sorry it took so long to reach you, but it was unavoidable given the circumstances of Albus's death," Fudge said. "Now, I'll bid you good day. I have to be getting along now."

While Lily showed Fudge out of the house, Harry tore open the letter from Dumbledore. At his side, Ron read the entire thing with him.

 _ **Harry,**_

 _ **If you're reading this then I'm afraid I've been sent to Azkaban. At my age, I have no chance of seeing the outside world again, therefore I'm trusting you with the safety of the wizarding world. How you proceed with the information I'm about to give you is entirely up to you, but I trust you'll do what is best for everyone.**_

 _ **First of all, I have a confession to make. Voldemort is not dead. I learnt long ago that he was using dark magic to split his soul and creating objects called Horcruxes. Until all of his Horcruxes have been destroyed, he cannot die. I currently have him imprisoned in a cottage a few miles away from Hogwarts. When I die the magic binding his magic and keeping him a prisoner will be gone, but he's in a weak physical state and will not be able to escape before you reach him.**_

 _ **I know you will do the right thing, Harry. I know you will continue my work and find a way to destroy Voldemort. It is imperative that he doesn't escape and reconnects with Athena. I truly believe Athena is a good person, and I don't believe there's darkness in her soul. But after recent events, she could be dangerous if she's reunited with her father.**_

 _ **I've included the co-ordinates of the cottage where Voldemort is being kept prisoner. I've also included everything I know about Voldemort's Horcruxes. Good luck Harry, and just remember that I have every faith in you.**_

 _ **Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore.**_

"Bloody hell," Ron gasped, reading the letter for a second time.

"You can say that again," Harry muttered as he looked at the other pieces of parchment Dumbledore had included in his letter. Alongside the co-ordinates for the cottage where Voldemort was being held, was several pages of notes regarding the Horcruxes.

"Harry, Dumbledore's been dead for a few weeks now," Ron said quietly. "What if Voldemort has escaped."

Harry looked at Ron in panic, before shoving the letter back into the envelope and jumping to his feet. Just then, Lily returned from seeing Fudge out of the house. Quickly telling Lily they had something urgent to do, Harry and Ron bolted from the house. They just hoped they weren't too late, and Voldemort was still at the cottage. If he'd escaped, it wasn't worth thinking about what the consequences would be for the Order. One thing was certain, he would be seeking revenge for the murder of his wife and kidnapping of his daughter.

* * *

 **A/N - I have been looking at my publication schedule, and have decided to start publishing the second in the Darkness trilogy in a few weeks time. I was originally going to wait until this story had finished, but as it stand it's already around the 30 chapter mark and still has more to go, and that means it won't be finished until some time in the late summer/early autumn. And I think that's too long to wait for the next part of the Darkness trilogy. I'm going to start getting things ready, so in a few weeks time there will be double darkness on Monday and Fridays as I publish this and the second part of Darkness.**


	7. Chapter 7

Following the co-ordinates Dumbledore had given them, Harry and Ron made their way up to Scotland to the cottage where Voldemort had been held prisoner. Unfortunately as soon as they arrived at the cottage they knew they were too late. The door to the cottage was standing wide open and there was an eerie silence surrounding the place.

"We're too late," Ron cursed as they approached the front door.

"Let's double check the cottage and the surrounding area," Harry said.

Cautiously entering the cottage, the pair set about searching the place. It was soon obvious that someone had been living in the cottage, but it was just as obvious that the place had been deserted for days. Although, how long Voldemort had been gone was unclear. He may have escaped within hours of Dumbledore's death, or they may have just missed him by hours.

"What now?" Ron asked when it became clear the cottage was totally empty and devoid of any clues.

"We don't know how long Voldemort's been gone, or what state he's in. He might have collapsed somewhere nearby for all we know," Harry said. "I think we should search the area, before informing the rest of the Order about what's going on. Dumbledore may have been a great wizard, but I think he made a mistake by keeping Voldemort's existence a secret. We're not going to make the same mistake. We're going to bring the Order in on things, and we can decide as a group on the best way to proceed."

Heading back outside, Harry and Ron decided to split up to search the surrounding area. For almost an hour the pair covered as much ground as they could, looking for clues that Voldemort had passed by. However, they found no sign of the dark wizard. If he was in a bad way somewhere, it wasn't in the vicinity of the cottage. Wherever he was, he'd managed to put a fair bit of distance between himself and the cottage where he'd been imprisoned for so many years.

"Back to the Order?" Ron checked as the pair re-convened outside the cottage.

"Yeah," Harry replied. "Let's get going."

Returning back to Harry's house they spoke to Lily and got her help in gathering as many of the Order as they could. While Lily dealt with contacting the older members of the Order, Harry and Ron made sure their friends were also present. If they wanted to stop Voldemort from continuing where he'd left off all those years ago, they'd need the help of a new generation of witches and wizards. Especially if Voldemort got Hermione on side, and she fought with the dark.

Gathering the Order wasn't exactly a quick job and it soon became clear that not many people could just drop everything and head directly to the Potters. So instead, it was arranged for the meeting to be held later that evening. Anyone who couldn't turn up could be informed of the situation by others, but Harry was hopeful the majority of the Order would make an appearance.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on?" Lily questioned, once everyone had been contacted and arrangements were in place for that evening. "You just rushed out of here, and now you're wanting to organise a meeting with a group who have no purpose anymore."

"That's just the thing, we do have a purpose again," Harry said. "Voldemort's alive."

"Don't be silly Harry," Lily said with a small laugh. "He's dead, and has been for several years. You saw what happened to him yourself at graduation."

"If you don't believe me, read this." Harry pulled Dumbledore's letter from his pocket and handed it over to his mother.

Lily read the letter from Dumbledore, the colour draining from her face as she did so. All this time Dumbledore had lied to them. He'd let James kill Voldemort's wife, while all the time he'd only pretended to do the same thing to Voldemort himself. For years he'd let the wizarding world think they were safe from a monster, when all along he just had Voldemort locked up. And there was no doubt that Voldemort would now be out for blood. Dumbledore had taken everything away from the dark wizard, and while he couldn't get his revenge on Dumbledore, he could target the people he was associated with. Although right now all the possibilities with Voldemort didn't mean much to Lily, her only concern was that Dumbledore had turned James into a killer.

"See, we've got a hell of a problem," Harry said, plucking Dumbledore's letter from Lily's shaking hands.

"Is that all you've got to say?" Lily demanded as Harry tucked the letter back into his pocket. "Does it not bother you that Dumbledore is admitting to turning your father into a killer? He left James with blood on his hands, yet he walked away guilt free. He didn't kill a man in cold blood, but your father killed a woman in her sleep."

"Dumbledore was doing what he thought was best," Harry argued. "Besides, you read the letter, you know Voldemort couldn't be killed."

"And that makes it acceptable, does it?" Lily snapped, disgusted with her son's attitude. "You think it was right for him to let James believe they were killing together."

"What does it matter?" Harry spat. "Dad still killed Voldemort's wife. It doesn't matter if Dumbledore killed Voldemort or not, Dad would still be a killer."

"It matters to me," Lily said with a sob as she turned on her heel and rushed off upstairs.

"Is she coming back?" Ron asked. He'd been keeping out of things while Harry and Lily were arguing.

"I don't know," Harry answered with a shrug. "But we've got more important things to worry about. Unless Voldemort's dead in a ditch somewhere, we're all in deep trouble."

"We need to take him out before he causes too much trouble," Ron agreed. "Although we will have to think about the Horcruxes. Dumbledore may have destroyed two, but he was sure there was more out there. It took him over fifteen years to destroy two Horcruxes. How long will it take us to destroy the rest? Especially considering we don't know how many there is and what they are."

"I admit, it's a problem," Harry conceded. "Maybe we can try and lock him up again as we search for the Horcruxes. But either way, we can't just sit back and do nothing. He won't just fade away and live a quiet life. He's going to want revenge for what happened."

As Harry and Ron settled down to try and make a plan of action before the rest of the Order arrived, an owl swooped in through an open window. The owl dropped a letter on the table in front of Harry, before soaring back outside and into the clear blue sky. Opening the letter, Harry found it was from Hermione confirming that she was willing to meet them in a café in Diagon Alley on Saturday afternoon.

"Perfect," Harry remarked with a grin as he showed Ron the letter. Considering what was now happening with her father, a meeting with her was perfect timing and it could be just what they needed to get some valuable information.

* * *

 _ **G.O.V.**_

* * *

A heavy silence filled the kitchen of the Potters house as the group digested what Harry had just told them. A good portion of the older members of the Order had shown up, including Remus and Tonks, McGonagall, Kingsley and Moody and the Longbottoms. Apart from Arthur, Ron's family were all present, including Ginny much to Molly's disgust. Ginny wasn't the only younger person at the meeting as Harry and Ron had ensured a few of their school friends were present at the meeting. Of course one person who hadn't been invited was Severus Snape. While Dumbledore may have trusted him, Harry and Ron didn't and they didn't want him involved with the Order any longer. Lily had even shown up at the meeting, although it was obvious to Harry that she was still upset by what was happening.

"Do you seriously expect us to believe this letter?" Bill Weasley demanded, breaking the silence in the room.

"You doubt the letter?" Harry questioned with a frown.

"I do," Bill declared with a nod. "If this is true, Dumbledore was willing to go to Azkaban for a murder he didn't commit. Who would do that?"

"Bill's right," Fred said. "If all this is true, why didn't Dumbledore say something when he was alive? He was arrested for murder, yet according to him, his victim was still alive. If that was me, I would have given up Voldemort's whereabouts."

"Unless of course this is just some rouse, and Voldemort is, and always has been, dead," George said. "What if he planned the entire thing? What if he found a way to kill himself and then left this letter to try and get people to think he wasn't a killer."

"I believe this letter," Harry insisted. "It's genuine, I know it is. Voldemort is alive, and he's a threat. He'll find his way back to Hermione, and together they'll bring us all down."

"And that's my cue to leave," Neville Longbottom declared as he rose to his feet. "I'm sorry Harry, but I will not be part of a witch hunt with Hermione as the target. She's done nothing wrong, and I refuse to go after her just because you're too stubborn to see that the people at fault here were Dumbledore and the Order. They caused this mess, and they hurt Hermione in a terrible way."

"And does anyone else feel this way?" Harry demanded sharply. "Because if they do, they can sod off."

Shaking their heads at Harry, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan got to their feet and left with Neville. The twins and Bill then left, followed by a few more of the younger crowd. Even those that stayed expressed their scepticism and made it clear that they would stay and hear Harry out, but they weren't committing to aiding his campaign against Hermione and Voldemort.

"I think with before we go any further, we need to speak up about our own worries," Frank said solemnly. He had briefly thought about following Neville from the meeting, but he felt as though he and Alice should at least stay and find out the state of play.

"What worries are those?" Molly asked. "I hope you're not going to join in with blaming Hermione for everything." As she spoke, she glanced accusingly at her two youngest children and Harry. Their attitude had already driven people away, and if the Longbottoms backed them up, even more people could leave rather than helping.

"We agree that Hermione is just a victim in all of this," Remus said. "Our worries are about Dumbledore."

"And specifically what his motives were in having us launching an attack on Voldemort's house," Frank added. "To be honest, this latest news just confirms that we made a huge mistake in trusting him so implicitly."

"I'm still not clear what your worries are," Lily said with a frown. "We can probably all agree that Dumbledore wasn't as trustworthy as he appeared."

Even though Harry disliked anyone thinking of Dumbledore as dishonest, he knew better than to argue. Given the events of the day, it was hard to justify Dumbledore's actions. Or at least it was hard to justify him not confiding in anyone about Voldemort.

"We have doubts about the prophecy that led to us launching our assault on Voldemort's home," Frank announced.

"You doubt the prophecy?" McGonagall questioned. "Why?"

"We've been thinking, and we've decided the timing was very convenient," Remus answered. "Dumbledore had been wanting us to launch a personal attack on Voldemort for some time, and it was the prophecy that prompted us to change our minds and agree to his plan."

"You think he made up the prophecy to get us to attack Voldemort," Molly gasped.

"We think it's a possibility," Frank confessed. "And if he's telling the truth that Voldemort didn't die, we have to question Dumbledore's motives."

"After all, he was the only person to speak to the Death Eater that told him about Hermione," Remus added. "There's a strong possibility that he made up the prophecy to suit his own agenda."

Of course, several people had plenty to say on the subject and a lively debate followed as the group tried to decide if the prophecy was genuine or not. Eventually it was decided that it couldn't be proven either way, and just to be on the safe side they would proceed as though it was real. And that meant they would have to face up to the fact that Hermione was now with the dark, and if Voldemort was indeed back, it could spell trouble for them all.

"I still refuse to believe that Hermione will turn on us," Molly declared, and a lot of the remaining Order nodded their agreement.

"Not many of us think she would under normal circumstances," Remus replied. "But things aren't normal, are they? She's just found out her entire life has been a lie, and now her father is back from the dead. We can't deny she could be dangerous given where she is at the moment."

"Fine, I'll concede there's potential for problems," Molly said with a sigh. "But I will not condemn her until we know she's done something wrong."

"No-one will be condemning anyone without proof," Kingsley stated as several other people agreed with his statement. It was clear that while people would help fight if they had to, they weren't going to be the ones to start a war, and especially not against Hermione, who most people still viewed as innocent.

"So what do we do now?" Lily asked. "How do we deal with the fact Voldemort might still around?"

"There's no might about it, he's back," Harry insisted.

"I think we need to make this official," Frank said. "Of course the Order should be prepared for anything, but I think we need to tell the Ministry what's going on. We can't keep Voldemort's potential existence a secret, it's not fair, and it could be dangerous. If he is back, the public needs to know it."

"But that will drag Dumbledore's name further through the mud," Harry protested. "Everyone thinks he's a murderer, and this will just make them question him further. Can't we stay quiet and protect what little of his reputation is still intact."

"To hell with Dumbledore's reputation," Lily growled angrily. "I say we let the world know how manipulative he truly was. He turned my James into a killer and kept his own hands clean."

"Don't you think the public deserves to know there's a dark wizard on the loose?" Tonks asked Harry gently as he glared at his mother, looking as though he was going to start an argument with him. "It's not our place to keep something like that from the public. Imagine the guilt if something happened because the public didn't know to be on their guard."

"I say we take a vote," Remus said.

A few minutes later it was decided by a majority vote that the Ministry would be informed of Voldemort's return. They would make plans once they saw the reaction of the Ministry, but for now they were going to go down official channels. The first step was to alert the world to Voldemort's presence, and then they would think about what to do next and how to defeat him again.


	8. Chapter 8

Harry and Ron arrived at the Ministry of Magic bright and early and were met in the atrium by Kingsley. It had been decided the previous evening that someone who worked at the Ministry should be part of the meeting with the Minister, and after drawing straws, Kingsley had been the one assigned to accompany Harry and Ron to the meeting he'd hastily arranged. He was just hoping that his presence at such a meeting wouldn't bode ill for his career as an Auror.

"Do you have the letter?" Kingsley asked the pair as they headed for the lifts.

It had been decided to alter the letter Dumbledore had left for Harry, erasing any mentions of Horcruxes. Some of the Order felt as though they should be honest about everything, but another argument had been put forward that with the small bits of information Dumbledore had left them, the Order were just as well placed as the Ministry to try and track down and destroy Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. In the end another vote had taken place and the decision to alter the letter had been taken. Alastor Moody had done the deed and he'd assured the rest of the Order that not even a well-trained Auror such as himself could tell the letter had been altered.

"I do," Harry answered, tapping his pocket.

"We don't have much time with the Minister, so we're going to have to get straight to the point," Kingsley told the boys as they travelled up to the top floor which housed the Minister's offices. "We're lucky I've been able to get us an appointment so soon."

"Thank you for arranging this, Kingsley, we really appreciate it," Harry said with a smile.

"Let's just hope we get the result we want," Kingsley muttered as he spoke to Fudge's secretary to announce their arrival for their appointment.

Since the appointment was made so last minute, they'd been squeezed in before Fudge's first appointment of the day so they were quickly ushered into the plush office. Sitting behind his desk, Fudge did not look at all pleased to see Harry and Ron and the first thing he said was that he'd only granted them a meeting since Kingsley had asked and he always tried to be there for his staff if they needed him.

"We appreciate you sparing us some of your valuable time," Harry said, sucking up the Minister even though he didn't like him in the slightest. "But this is very important. It's about the letter you delivered from Professor Dumbledore."

Taking the altered letter from his pocket, Harry placed it on the Minister's desk. Instead of immediately picking up the letter, Fudge merely gave Harry a questioning look.

"I'm not in the habit of reading letters addressed to other people," Fudge eventually said.

"Please read it, it's vitally important," Harry begged.

"Very well," Fudge muttered as he picked up the letter and began to read. He read the letter twice, before putting it down again and fixing Harry and Ron with a stern glare. "What do you expect me to say?"

"I don't know, but we were hoping you could warn people," Harry replied.

"Warn people about what?" Fudge asked. "Do you really think I would terrify the country based on the ramblings of a known liar?"

"You don't believe the letter," Ron gasped in surprise. Despite everything it had never occurred to him and Harry that Dumbledore's word wouldn't be believed.

"Given who wrote it, no I don't believe it," Fudge answered sharply. "Albus Dumbledore was a liar and a killer. I witnessed the memories of him killing You-Know-Who with my own two eyes at graduation. Why would I now believe that was all faked just because of a letter he wrote before his death? Quite honestly, I wouldn't trust anything that man has ever said. Nor would I trust you two. I witnessed the way you treated that poor girl you called a friend, and when no-one believed you about her, you've suddenly came into possession of information that her father is somehow alive. To me this entire thing stinks of scaremongering."

"But we've been to the cottage," Harry argued. "Someone was there, but now it's empty. Voldemort has escaped, and if he we do nothing the entire world will be in danger."

"Do you believe this, Kingsley?" Fudge asked, turning to the Auror.

"I believe that given the serious nature of the claims, it's our duty to look into it," Kingsley said diplomatically. He didn't want to outright contradict Fudge, but he also didn't want the letter to be brushed under the table.

"Very well," Fudge said with a brisk nod. "Kingsley, I want you to take another Auror to this cottage and have a look around to see if it's possible someone has been kept prisoner there. I know Dumbledore himself didn't own the cottage as he had no properties registered in his name, so find the owner and ask how Dumbledore knew about the place. I want some answers by the end of the day."

"Thank you, Minister," Harry said with a relieved sigh.

"I'm merely doing my job, but I don't for one minutes expect these silly claims to be proved true," Fudge retorted sharply. "Dumbledore is a known liar and manipulator and to me, this just reeks of him trying to cause more trouble."

Harry bristled at the insults thrown at a dead man, but knowing they needed to have Fudge onside if they wanted to reach the wider public, he swallowed his annoyance and kept his mouth shut.

"Thank you for the information, you may go now," Fudge said, waving a dismissive hand. "The Aurors will take over things from now on."

"We'd like to stay," Harry said. "We want to know what the Aurors find."

"Stay if you wish, but you'll have to leave my office," Fudge snapped. "I have work to do."

Sensing Fudge was on the verge of completely losing his temper at Harry and Ron, Kingsley ushered the two boys out of the Minister's office. Leaving them in one of the outer offices, he headed down to the Auror department where he collared Tonks to help him with his investigation.

"What do we do now?" Ron asked as he and Harry slumped down on a couple of chairs to wait for Kingsley returning.

"We wait," Harry replied with a sigh.

Harry and Ron waited all morning with no news, and not wanting to leave their post, where they had a great view of the Minister's office and would see Kingsley's return, at lunchtime Ron headed off to grab them some food while Harry kept watch. Not that Ron missed anything and by the time he returned with some sandwiches and juice there was still no sign of Kingsley.

"I've been thinking," Harry said as the two boys munched their lunch. "Now Voldemort's back, we're going to have to prepare for a war, and I just don't know if Fudge is going to take this as a serious threat. I feel like I need to do more to protect people."

"How are you going to manage that?" Ron asked.

"I think I need to apply to be an Auror," Harry announced. "I know we've got Aurors on our side, but having more people in that position and getting some professional training won't hurt."

"But what about your quidditch career?" Ron questioned, totally shocked by Harry's idea. "You've literally just signed a contract with a professional club."

"It was only for a year," Harry replied with a shrug. "Besides this is more important than quidditch. My life might just depend on the training I receive as an Auror. I have to do this Ron."

"Then count me in as well," Ron said with determination. "So how do we apply to be Aurors?"

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "But you don't have to do this Ron. I don't want you giving up a career you've always dreamt of."

"We stay together, Harry," Ron insisted. "Besides, you're right, quidditch isn't important and this is. Not only do we have Hermione to deal with, but now we've got her father as well. We need to be prepared."

"Okay, then let's find out how to apply," Harry said as he finished up his lunch and balled his rubbish up and threw it into a nearby bin. "You stay here, and I'll go and see what I can find out."

Half an hour later, Harry returned with two application forms for Auror training. After establishing that Kingsley hadn't returned, the two boys sat down to fill out their forms. Becoming an Auror was not easy, so the application forms took a fair bit of filling in and Harry and Ron worked on them nearly all afternoon. Once they were finished, Harry took them back to the internal records department, which was where he'd gotten them from in the first place, and handed them in.

"What happens now?" Ron asked when Harry returned.

"We wait until they get in touch with us," Harry replied. "According to the witch I gave them to, it could take a couple of weeks for the applications to be processed. Once they'd been processed, we'll be called in for an interview and then given a date to start training. With any luck we'll be on our way to becoming Aurors before Christmas."

For the rest of the afternoon Harry and Ron talked about their change of careers. As various members of staff began to leave for the evening they began to worry that Kingsley wasn't returning. Fortunately, they knew Fudge was still in his office and he was still there when the lift doors opened and Kingsley stepped off with Tonks in tow. The two Aurors gave Harry and Ron small smiles, but by the shaking of their heads, they knew it wasn't good news. Quietly, they followed the two Aurors to Fudge's office and when the Minister called for them to enter, they trooped in behind Kingsley and Tonks.

"This is not normal protocol," Fudge tutted when he spotted the two teenagers. "But for once, I'll let it slide. Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, please take a seat so we can hear what Aurors Shackelbolt and Tonks have to say."

Harry and Ron settled into two empty seats as Kingsley began by announcing that they had some answers. He explained that he and Tonks had visited the cottage in question and as Harry and Ron said, it was vacant but had clearly had a recent occupant.

"Someone kept against their will?" Fudge asked.

"There's no way of knowing," Kingsley admitted. "It was a pretty sparse place, but that means nothing. Some people prefer the simple life."

"What about remnants of wards?" Harry questioned. "Dumbledore must have had some pretty strong wards around the place to prevent Voldemort from escaping."

"If there was any wards around the cottage, they're long gone now," Kingsley said.

"And since Dumbledore is dead, we can't cast for remnants of his magic," Tonks added. "All his magic died with him, including all traces of spells he'd previously performed."

"So you cannot say with any certainty that the cottage has been holding a prisoner?" Fudge checked, a smug grin flitting over his face.

"No, we cannot confirm the presence of a prisoner," Kingsley said, giving Harry and Ron a sympathetic smile.

"But you can't disprove it either, can you?" Harry asked, determined not to be brush aside so easily. "For all you know, there could have been a prisoner in that cottage until just recently."

"Yes, they could have been," Kingsley admitted.

"But the Ministry does not work on possibilities, we deal with facts," Fudge said. "And the fact is, there's no proof Dumbledore was keeping anyone in that cottage. What about the owner, could they shed any light on the situation?"

"We tracked the owner down and talked to him," Tonks answered. "He first rented the cottage to Dumbledore nearly twenty five years ago. The lease automatically renewed every two years, unless Dumbledore cancelled for some reason, which he never did."

"And why did he rent the place to Dumbledore?" Fudge asked. "I assume you asked him?"

"He said Dumbledore wanted somewhere close to Hogwarts that he could visit to get some privacy during the school year," Kingsley explained. "As far as the wizard who owned the cottage was concerned, it was Dumbledore himself who was using the place."

"Clearly he just changed purposes when he captured Voldemort," Harry argued. "This proves nothing."

"Exactly, we've proved nothing here today," Fudge insisted. "Nothing that has happened today has proved to me that You-Know-Who is alive. I stand by what I said this morning. I will not create panic in our world just on the say so of a known liar and murderer. As far as the Ministry is concerned, the wizard known as Lord Voldemort is dead."

"You can't bury your head in the sand," Harry yelled as he jumped to his feet. "People are in danger, they need to know."

"Obviously I can't stop you spreading these tales, but I would think twice about doing so if I were you," Fudge said. "You've got no proof of any of this, and quite frankly Dumbledore's word does not count for anything these days. Just remember that by spreading these rumours you could hurt innocent people, not to mention upset influential families."

"Are you threatening us, Minister?" Harry hissed.

"No, I'm merely giving you a friendly warning," Fudge answered. "You are two young wizards on the verge of starting your lives, take some friendly advice and don't get on the wrong side of certain people. Don't let Dumbledore, and his wild allegations, ruin your lives. He's already done enough damage, don't let him take you two down with him as well."

"I'd rather be labelled as Dumbledore's stooge and stand up for what's right, then sit back and do nothing," Harry insisted. "You might not want to admit the truth, but I'm not frightened to say that Voldemort is back. I won't rest until the entire world knows, and people know they need to protect themselves from him once again."

Not even bothering to say goodbye to Kingsley and Tonks, Harry and Ron stormed out of the Minister's office and headed back home to break the news to the rest of the Order that they were on their own. The Ministry wasn't going to help them fight Voldemort, so they would just have to do so themselves. And if in the process they managed to take out Hermione as well, Harry and Ron wouldn't be losing any sleep over her loss. She was the enemy as far as they were concerned, and even though they still planned on meeting with her over the weekend, they had no intention of reigniting their friendship with the girl they firmly believed was behind every bad thing that had happened over the last twelve months.


	9. Chapter 9

Sitting by her father's bedside, Hermione was enjoying getting to know the wizard who was so dark and so feared that Dumbledore had resorted to keeping him locked away from the world. Over the last couple of days, Hermione had been able to track down her father's surviving Horcruxes and they were all safely locked up at the manor.

"Why didn't mother have any Horcruxes?" Hermione asked, after she'd informed her father that his Horcruxes were now safely in her keeping. "I've been doing some reading, and as long as you've got Horcruxes you can live forever. Why would you want to live forever without your family?"

"I didn't make Horcruxes to live forever," Voldemort said with a weak chuckle. "I made them in case anything like this happened." Pausing he gestured to the fact he was still bed bound and seriously weak. "I knew what I was doing would result in me gaining enemies, and I didn't want my enemies being able to kill me."

"I get that," Hermione said with an understanding nod. "But didn't that change when you got married and had me? Didn't you want mother and I with you forever?"

"Of course I did, Athena," Voldemort said gently, reaching out to take hold of Hermione's hand. "Your mother and I discussed Horcruxes for the pair of you, but it wasn't something I could provide for either of you. To make a Horcrux you have to kill, and while your mother backed me in my endeavour for power, she wasn't a killer. You can be dark and embrace the darkness without killing the way I did. I'm rather ruthless in that respect, I'm afraid."

"Are you sorry for who you are and what you've done?"

Voldemort was silent for a long time as he considered his daughter's question. To be honest he had no idea what answer she wanted from him, and he didn't want to upset her and drive her away before he'd really gotten the chance to get to know her. Not knowing what answer she wanted, Voldemort decided that the truth was the best answer. He didn't want to lose his daughter, but deep down he knew they would never have the sort of relationship he'd dreamed of if she couldn't accept him for who he was.

"No," he eventually replied. "I am not sorry for who I am, or for anything I've done. I do wish things could have worked out differently, but I don't regret my actions. I've done a lot of dark deeds in my time, and if I had my life to live over, I would do them again. I would just make sure you and your mother were better protected. Not protecting you and Adelaide is my only regret."

"You couldn't have done anything more than you did," Hermione said. "You weren't to know what Dumbledore has planned. How could anyone see what he had in mind? Now his actions were truly evil."

"I'd always suspected there was a dark underbelly to Albus Dumbledore," Voldemort confessed. "I had heard rumours that he'd dabbled in the Dark Arts himself as a youngster, but I never for one minute thought he could be capable of what he did. At least now he's gone and his evilness is exposed for the world to see."

"His good name is well and truly destroyed," Hermione agreed with a smirk, before turning serious as she prepared to ask the question that had kept her up at night ever since her father had returned. "But what's going to happen when you're fit again? Will you start up the war again?"

"If I did, would you stand by my side?" Voldemort asked. "I think you've more than proven over the last year that you've got darkness inside you."

"I can't deny the darkness in my soul, but that's not the same as standing by you in a fight for a cause I don't believe in," Hermione replied. "I was avenging what had happened to you and mother when I let my darkness out. I will fight if anyone threatens you or my family, but I won't fight against muggleborns. If you want to start that war again, then you're on your own."

"I suspected as much, which is why I won't be restarting any war," Voldemort said. "Although if the prophecy Lucius told me is true, I would say you were going to be the one to bring the dark to power. You're going to rule the world, Athena, not me. I'm an old man now, I'm content to sit back and watch my daughter take charge."

"I don't want to rule the world," Hermione argued. "I just want to live a normal life with Draco."

"Sometimes we don't always get what we want," Voldemort said wisely. "Sometimes whether we want to or not, we have to fight. You might need to fight for this normal life you want, Athena. Dumbledore may be dead, but I'm not sure the rest of the Order will be quite as willing to let things rest as they are."

Hermione let out a deep sigh as she reluctantly agreed with her father. The recent letter from Harry was Ron was proof that they weren't ready to let things rest. They still wanted trouble, and if Hermione ever wanted peace, she would have to be the one to end the trouble. She might even have to get rid of them once and for all if she ever wanted to live the rest of her life in peace.

Before Hermione could dwell too much on what drastic action she might need to take against her former friends, there was a knock on the door and Lucius poked his head into the room. Apologising for interrupting, he announced that the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was in his study and he wished to speak to Hermione.

"Why would he want to talk to me?" Hermione asked warily. She'd been very careful over her revenge and she was sure that nothing she'd done could be traced back to her, but questioning her about events of the past year was the only thing Hermione could think that the Minister would want with her.

"He didn't say, he just said he had something urgent he would like to discuss with us both," Lucius replied.

"Go and see him," Voldemort urged his hesitant daughter. "And don't be nervous. You've done nothing wrong."

"I've done plenty wrong," Hermione laughed.

"None of which the Ministry can prove," Lucius pointed out. "Nor do they have the desire to prove it. Fudge is on our side, Hermione. Whatever he's here for, he isn't here to accuse you of anything."

"Let's hope not," Hermione muttered as she said goodbye to her father and headed down to Lucius's study with the blond wizard.

As Lucius had said, Fudge was waiting for them, and when he greeted her warmly, Hermione felt her worries began to slip away. Lucius was right, whatever Fudge wanted, it wasn't to cause trouble for her.

"I'm sorry for just calling unexpectedly, but something happened yesterday that I think you ought to know about," Fudge said as the trio settled down in seats in front of the unlit fire. "I had Potter and Weasley in my office."

"Don't say they want to join the Ministry," Lucius snorted.

"I heard they both signed contracts with quidditch teams," Hermione remarked.

"Funnily enough, they both filed applications for Auror training while they were at the Ministry," Fudge revealed. "But that wasn't why they came to see me. They arrived in my office with a letter they're claiming was wrote by Dumbledore before his death."

"Claiming? You mean you don't believe them?" Lucius asked.

"I do actually," Fudge said. "I myself delivered a letter to Potter that was found among Albus's belongings after his death. It's the contents of the letter that I call into question."

"What did the letter say?" Hermione questioned, working hard to conceal the nerves she suddenly felt. Every instinct was telling her that Fudge was going to mention her father being alive, and she knew that her reaction would be key to what happened next.

"Dumbledore is claiming he didn't kill your father," Fudge said gently.

"What?" Hermione screeched, jumping to her feet and feigning outrage. "How can he deny it? Everyone at graduation witnessed what happened. He's a killer."

"I quite agree," Fudge said reassuringly. "Personally, I think the entire letter was designed to cause trouble and spread fear around the country."

"What exactly did this letter claim?" Lucius questioned as Hermione reluctantly retook her seat beside him. "How was he trying to deny something that everyone saw with their own eyes?"

"He claimed that he didn't kill Hermione's father, he merely trapped him in a cottage near to Hogwarts. According to Dumbledore, Hermione's father has been his prisoner for years. He wrote the letter thinking he was going to Azkaban, and entrusting Potter and the Order with his secret before it was too late."

"Are you saying the Order are claiming they have my father as their prisoner?" Hermione demanded, pushing down her nerves and summoning her fiery temper, although part of her wanted to laugh as Fudge repeatedly referred to Voldemort as her father, almost as if he was still too scared to say his name.

"No, they're claiming he's out in the world somewhere," Fudge explained. "According to Potter and Weasley they went to the cottage the second they got the letter, but your father was already gone."

"How convenient," Lucius drawled. "Basically the Order are saying The Dark Lord is alive and at large, but they only proof they have is the word of the wizard who was witnessed killing him in the first place."

"Exactly," Fudge said with a nod. "Just to be fair, I sent a couple of Aurors to check out this cottage that was supposedly used as the prison for Hermione's father. We found no evidence that the cottage had been used as a prison, but we did confirm that Albus had been renting the cottage for years."

"Of course there's no proof of my father being held prisoner," Hermione snorted. "He was killed while he was sleeping, alongside my mother. How dare they try and twist what happened to clear Dumbledore's name. He was a killer."

"And that is the Ministry's official line," Fudge assured Hermione. "I refuse to give credence to the Order's claims. However, I very much doubt Potter and Weasley are going to just let things rest. That's why I'm here, to warn you of the lies they're spreading. You should be prepared for them trying to make their claims public knowledge. I didn't want you to be taken by surprise."

"Thank you," Hermione said, bestowing the Minister with a genuine smile. She really did appreciate that he'd taken the time to warn her and Lucius of what was happening.

"Rest assured, the Ministry will refuse to take their claims seriously," Fudge promised. "We all know the truth of what happened."

"Yes, we do," Hermione murmured.

"And if anyone claims otherwise, they're going to have me to deal with," Lucius vowed in a low, dangerous voice. "I wonder if the Weasleys can afford to be sued after the year they've had."

"You're going to take legal action against them?" Fudge questioned.

"If they try and spread these lies, then yes, I am," Lucius said with a nod. "Thank you for keeping us informed, Cornelius. I'll speak to my lawyer to see what we can do to keep them quiet."

"You have the Ministry's full support," Fudge promised as he got to his feet to leave.

"We appreciate that," Lucius said, also rising to see the Minister out.

Once Fudge was gone, Lucius and Hermione were alone and they could say what they really wanted without having to monitor their reactions for Fudge.

"Can we keep their claims out of the public domain?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Do we want to?" Lucius retorted. "This could be just what we need to completely discredit them. Too many people saw the memories at graduation. The image of Dumbledore as a cold blooded killer is out there. This will just look like a desperate attempt to clear his name. We could use this to our advantage, Hermione. We can put the Order down for good."

"I wasn't going to do anything to them, but it looks like they've forced my hand," Hermione said with a sigh. "We're going to have to deal with them if I want to be able to move on with my life. Let's see what their next move is, but if they go public I want you to create a massive fuss and launch legal proceedings against them."

"It'll be my pleasure," Lucius said with a smirk. He really hoped the Order did make things public as there was nothing he would like more than to drag them all through the mud and make them look like the fools they were.

Leaving Lucius to bring Voldemort up to date with what was going on, Hermione returned to Draco's bedroom, which was becoming their bedroom. Settling down beside the window, Hermione carefully considered what they'd learnt from Fudge and what they would mean for the future. She was still thinking when Draco returned from work, and she quickly filled him in on what Fudge had told her.

"I guess this means the meeting with Potter and Weasley at the weekend is off," Draco remarked.

"No, we're going ahead with it," Hermione said. "But things are going to have to run differently. I can't accept their offer of friendship as I was going to."

"Then what's the point of going?" Draco asked with a frown. "I thought the whole idea was to try and get close to them again and work out what their plan was."

"I don't care what their plan was, whatever it is, we can foil it," Hermione said confidently. "What I want to do is get them second guessing themselves. They hate me, and that can't be changed, but we can change their mind about what happened last year. I'm sure they think I'm behind everything that happened."

"And for once in their pathetic lives they would be right."

"They would, but by the time we're finished with them, they're going to think they've misjudged me," Hermione said, giving her boyfriend a wicked smirk. "We're going to convince them that I was innocent all along."

"And just how are we going to do that?" Draco questioned with a frown. Hermione clearly had a plan, and he was sure it was going to be just as devious as the plans she'd instigated over the past twelve months.

"We're going to give them another suspect," Hermione answered. "We're going to convince them that you were behind everything. We're going to leave them thinking that you did everything to get your hands on me, and they played right into your hands by disowning me. I want them to think that if they'd reacted differently at graduation, I would be with them rather than with you where the prophecy could come true."

"You want me to play on the prophecy?" Draco chuckled.

"Yes," Hermione replied with a nod. "I want you to convince them that you were the mastermind behind everything and I was just an innocent pawn in your plans. Can you do that?"

"You can count on me," Draco replied with a grin as he pulled Hermione into his arms.

"I know," Hermione whispered in response. "You've always been my rock. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"You'll never have to find out. We're stuck together forever."

Smiling at the thought of being stuck with Draco for life, Hermione connected her lips with her boyfriends and as they tumbled onto the bed in each other arms thoughts of Harry and Ron were put to one side. Together they would deal with Hermione's former friends, just like together they'd wreaked a terrible vengeance on all those who had been complicit in her kidnapping as a child.


	10. Chapter 10

On the day she was due to meet Harry and Ron, Hermione spent the morning preparing herself and the act she was going to be putting on. To be honest the meeting would have been easier a few days ago, as she wouldn't have had to worry about the situation with her father. However, she knew there was no way to avoid the topic when she met her former friends.

The previous day an article in The Daily Prophet had declared that The Dark Lord had returned. The paper had printed a copy of what was claimed to be Dumbledore's last letter, and quoted sources close to the deceased headmaster who claimed the letter was genuine and its contents were to be believed. Annoyingly, Harry or anyone else associated with the Order, hadn't been named in the article, meaning that going down the route of legal action could prove tricky. However, Lucius was looking into matters and he'd vowed that if there was a way to get to the Order legally, he would make sure he found it.

Hermione hadn't been sure about how the article would be received by the wizarding public, but within a few hours of the paper hitting the streets she received several owls from people assuring her that they didn't believe the latest lies to come from Dumbledore. Among those who'd written to her was Neville, and not only had her friend asked to see her, but he'd informed her that Harry was trying to rally the Order to lead a fight against her and her father. Not that Neville believed Voldemort was back, and he assured her that several people had walked away from the Order and refused to get involved with what they saw as Harry's personal vendetta against Hermione.

Hermione was touched by Neville's letter and really wanted to see her friend, but was wary of doing so as long as she had to lie to him. The trouble was, she could hardly tell Neville how long she'd known about her identity without revealing the lies she'd told and that would send him running straight back to the Order. Instead she'd wrote to her friend, thanking him for his support and promising to arrange a meeting once she'd had a bit more time to come to terms with everything that had happened. She was hoping that in time she could face Neville without feeling too guilty about the lies she would have to tell him.

Another letter that had touched Hermione, and had made her feel incredibly guilty, was one from the twins. Like Neville, they'd offered her their love and support and made it clear that not only did they disapprove of their parents actions, but along with Bill they would be having nothing to do with anything the Order might come up with. Hermione had actually shed a few tears when she'd read the supportive words and she'd felt terrible for the pain she'd caused Bill and the twins. She'd been the cause of Bill's accident and his prolonged hospital stay, and it was because of her that the twins had nearly lost their business and could now no longer expand their empire. The truth was, she'd been so caught up in hurting Molly and Arthur that she'd failed to think about the innocent Weasleys she'd targeted and now her guilt was eating away at her. The only thing helping her was the fact that Bill was perfectly okay and the twins had managed to keep their shop. Although Hermione did vow that if they continued to support her she would find a way to make things right and make amends for the hurt she'd caused.

However, thoughts of Neville and the good Weasleys were shut to one side as Hermione mentally prepared herself to face the two boys she'd once considered her best friends in the entire world. She knew what she wanted to say and the act she wanted to convey, and she was just hoping that Draco was as prepared. She'd decided to leave his side of the meeting to him, and she trusted him to leave the impression that he'd been behind events of the last year and Harry and Ron had gotten things terribly wrong.

"Are you ready?" Draco asked as he entered the room. "If we're not careful, we're going to be late."

"I want to make sure they're there before us," Hermione replied as she checked the time and found that it was nearly time to leave. "Are you ready?"

"Of course," Draco replied with a smirk. "Don't worry Hermione, by the time I'm finished, Potter and Weasley will be kicking themselves for getting things so very wrong. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if you received another letter from them, warning you that I was behind everything."

"If I do it will be going right into the bin," Hermione snorted. "Let's do this. And if this still doesn't end things, we're going to have to think of a more permanent solution to the problem they're posing."

"It should be easy enough to lure them somewhere and take care of them," Draco said, sounding eager at the prospect. "Our connection should ensure we win and fight, and I have to admit I would love to see just what we're capable of under pressure."

"That reminds me, be careful today," Hermione warned. "As you've said, we might need to use our connection to fight Harry and Ron at a later date. I don't want them getting any indication of how strong we are together. Just remember that as far as the world is concerned, we're not together yet and we've only just started to get to know one another."

"Don't worry, I know my place," Draco reassured his girlfriend. "Now we really must go, or we'll be so late that Potter and Weasley will think you're not coming and they'll have scarpered."

Realising that Draco was right, and they were now cutting things close to the wire, Hermione picked up her bag and ensuring her wand was tucked safely into her pocket, she held onto Draco as he apparated them to Diagon Alley as he was the only one able to apparate them from within the manor's boundaries. Once at Diagon Alley, the pair made sure to keep a distance between them as they headed to the café Hermione was due to meet her former friends in.

When they entered the café, Hermione spotted Harry and Ron sitting in a booth against the back wall. The pair hadn't noticed her entrance, and she took a couple of moments to check them out. They both looked the same as ever, but they wore matching determined looks on their faces and they had their heads close together as they whispered about something. Every instinct Hermione had told her that they were planning for the meeting and that as she'd suspected their letters of apology hadn't been genuine.

"Here goes," Hermione muttered to Draco and making sure her boyfriend was right behind her she headed in the direction of the two former Gryffindors.

Harry and Ron must have sensed her approach as they both looked up as she neared their booth. The second they saw her, they plastered fake smiles on their faces, but their smiles soon turned to frowns when they also spotted Draco.

"Hello boys," Hermione said softly as she reached the bemused pair.

"Hello Hermione," Harry replied, offering his old friend a smile. "We're pleased you agreed to meet us."

"I have to admit, I'm still not sure I'm doing the right thing," Hermione said nervously.

"Of course you're not," Draco snorted. "These two are nothing but trouble."

"Who asked you Malfoy?" Ron spat. "In fact, what are you even doing here? We didn't ask to see you."

"Tough," Draco replied with a smirk. "Where Athena goes, I go."

"Athena?" Harry spluttered, unable to hide his disgust although he quickly schooled the expression into one of confusion. "You're going by your birth name?" he asked Hermione.

"No, I'm still Hermione," Hermione replied.

"Hermione, Athena, it doesn't matter, they're still the same person," Draco replied with a shrug.

"Hermione is who I am, Athena was who I was meant to be," Hermione said, still playing on her innocent act.

"None of this explains why he's here," Ron said, jerking his thumb in Draco's direction. "It's one thing talking to you Hermione, but we don't want him here."

"Tough, because you've got me," Draco announced as he slipped past Hermione and slid into the empty side of the booth. "There's no way on earth I'm leaving Athena alone with you two. Especially you Weasel. You've got a temper on you, and you've already hit her once."

"That was an accident," Ron muttered, lowering his head so he seemed apologetic.

"Accident or not, you still hit her and one day you'll pay for it," Draco snarled menacingly.

"Draco, stop that," Hermione scolded as she scooted into the booth next to him. "I allowed you to come, so behave."

"You didn't allow me to do anything, I insisted and you're in no position to stop me," Draco replied.

"What does he mean, you're in no position to stop him?" Harry asked in genuine confusion. "The Malfoys are not keeping you prisoner, are they?"

"No we bloody well are not," Draco replied in indignation. "Athena is free to come and go from the manor as she pleases. There was just no way I was allowing her to meet you two in private. Call me crazy, but I just don't trust you."

"The feeling's mutual, Malfoy," Ron spat. "And your concern for Hermione is touching, albeit not very genuine. Why would you care what happens to her?"

"I care because we're bonded," Draco answered, smirking as the two boys opposite seemed to be genuinely stunned and lost for words.

"Bonded?" Ron finally repeated, shock still written all over his face. "You've moved on already?" he demanded of Hermione. "With Malfoy of all people."

"I have not moved on," Hermione said. "I loved you Ron, and I wanted to marry you. Do you really think I could just forget about that in a matter of weeks?"

"It certainly looks like it," Ron sneered.

"We were bonded as infants," Hermione explained.

"Before Dumbledore and Potty senior killed her parents and stole her from her bed," Draco added.

"What does that mean?" Harry asked Hermione, ignoring Draco's remark even though he wanted to reach across the table and strangle the smug blond git.

"It means that one day I will have to marry Draco," Hermione answered, carefully watching Ron for his reaction. If he was hurt it didn't show immediately and when he did look aggrieved after a few minutes it seemed forced and not at all genuine.

"Can't you get out of it?" Harry pressed.

"No," Draco answered before Hermione had a chance to speak. "We're connected for life, and there's nothing anyone can do about it."

"You seem awfully pleased about it," Ron remarked.

"What's not to be pleased about? I'm bonded to a beautiful witch with an impressive family history."

"You mean you're happy to be bonded to The Dark Lord's daughter," Harry snorted. "He doesn't love you, Hermione. Just look at him, he's happy to use you."

"It doesn't matter, we can't fight fate," Hermione shrugged. "But you didn't write to catch up with my private life. You said you were sorry for what happened to graduation."

"We are," Harry said, trying his hardest to sound sincere and conjure up some of the former affection he'd felt for Hermione. "We were just so shocked and we overreacted."

"I would love to think that was the case, but it's not," Hermione said with a sad sigh. "You're forgetting Harry that I was there for months before hand when every opportunity you got, you complained about Athena. You were advocating her murder without knowing anything about her. Why should that change just because I happened to be Athena?"

"You're our friend, Hermione," Harry said softly. "We know you, and we know you're not capable of evil."

"That's not what you said," Hermione reminded Harry. "You were both pretty brutal about me. You accused me of all sorts. You accused me of killing your father, Harry."

"And I'm sorry," Harry apologised. "I see now that we were wrong."

"No, what you see now is that no-one will back you up," Hermione corrected. "No-one else thinks like you and no-one will believe your theories that I was behind all those Death Eater attacks and all the other horrible things that happened last year. What was your plan, pretend to apologise and trap me into confessing?"

"We're not pretending," Harry argued.

"We're genuine," Ron added, realising that he hadn't said much and he needed to help Harry out.

"Before yesterday I might have believed you," Hermione said with a sad shake of her head. "But how can I believe you when you're spreading such hurtful lies about my father."

"If you mean warning people's he's back, then we're not lying," Harry insisted. "He's not dead, Hermione. Dumbledore did not kill your father."

"How dare you," Hermione hissed as she angrily rose to her feet deciding it was time to execute an outraged exit. "You were sitting beside me as I witnessed my parents being killed in their sleep. How dare you turn around and say that didn't happen just to clear Dumbledore's name. He was a killer, Harry, just like your father, and I hope the pair of them are rotting in hell."

"If anyone should be rotting in hell, it's your father," Harry seethed, jumping to his feet and glaring at Hermione. "I swear to god that when I find him Hermione, and I will find him, I'll put him in the ground where he belongs. And if you stand with him, I'll put you there too."

"And the truth comes out," Hermione chuckled humourlessly. "You can save your false apologies. I've seen your true colours now, and I want nothing more to do with the pair of you. You're dead to me."

With a haughty flick of her long curls, Hermione turned and stalked out of the café. She didn't bother to wait for Draco and he made no move to follow her as he sat opposite Harry and Ron, a large smirk plastered all over his face.

"Perfect," he chuckled, giving Harry a slow round of applause as he sunk back into his seat. "I've got to hand it to you Potter, you and the Weasel never fail to deliver. You're so damn predictable."

"What do you mean by that?" Harry snapped, not in the mood for the blond's games as he was annoyed at how badly he'd screwed up the meeting with Hermione.

"Your little display," Draco said. "Father was worried that your apology was genuine and you would convince Athena to leave us and return to you. However, I knew better and I predicated you would blow it and show your true feelings. Just like graduation when you delivered Athena right into my arms."

"You," Harry hissed, his green eyes widening as understanding filled them. "It was you. You and your father. You were behind this entire thing. You knew who Hermione was the entire time."

"Not the entire time," Draco replied honestly.

"You tricked us," Ron accused with a pout. "You made us believe it was Hermione when it was you."

"No, you believed that all on your own," Draco said. "And just think, if only you'd believed in her, she would be with you now. Instead she's living at the manor, getting to know her new family and learning about her true heritage. And it's all thanks to you two. I really should say thank you, but I just can't bring myself to thank two tossers like you. Instead, I'll just leave you to dwell on the fact that everything that has happened since graduation, and will happen in the future, is all because you didn't hold onto the best friend either of you could have ever hoped to have. I hope you're happy, because I sure am."

Giving the stunned pair one last smirk, Draco rose from his seat and laughing to himself he exited the café and headed to the apparition point to meet Hermione. After assuring his girlfriend that everything had ran to plan and that the seeds of doubt were well and truly planted in Harry and Ron's head, the pair headed back to the manor to consult with Lucius about the legal proceedings and to plan their next move in case Harry and Ron hadn't yet finished their attempts to try and bring Hermione down.


	11. Chapter 11

Taking advantage of the fact Harry had gone out with Ron, Lily invited Molly over for morning tea and a chat. Molly arrived with a home-made fruit cake and the two witches settled in the garden as they compared their woes. Neither witch was having an easy time of things, and they were both filled with guilt over their past behaviour.

As they talked, they both agreed that all their problems stemmed from their actions in the past. At the time they'd both been convinced that Dumbledore had done the right thing by kidnapping Athena, and they'd been happy to keep the truth from Hermione, but now they could see that they never should have been a part of the plan. They should have refused to get involved, and maybe then their lives wouldn't have turned to ashes within the last year.

Despite what Harry and Ron had been insisting, neither witch believed Hermione was responsible for events of the previous year, but they could both accept that everything that had happened came as a direct result of what had happened all those years earlier. Hermione might not have known the truth about who she was, but she was the reason their lives had been ruined. Someone knew the entire story, and they'd taken revenge on those they held responsible for what had happened to Athena. Not that they blamed Hermione, if anything they both felt incredibly guilty over the suffering she must be going through.

Although to be honest, Hermione's suffering wasn't the most important thing on either witches mind. They were both having problems with their families and were both doing everything they could to hold their fracturing families together. Molly had several of her sons distancing themselves from her and Arthur because of their part in Athena's kidnapping, and of course Arthur was still waiting to see what charges, if any, the Ministry would bring against him and what his punishment would be. Lily was still having issues with Harry, who was blaming her for letting him get friendly with Hermione, on top of still grieving for James and coming to terms with the fact Dumbledore allowed her husband to become a killer.

"I curse the day we ever heard of that godforsaken prophecy," Lily said. "That's where all the problems began."

"Do you think Remus could be onto something?" Molly asked. "Could Albus have made it up?"

"I hope not, because that would make everything ten times worse and it's already a mess as it is," Lily replied. "Although if the prophecy is real, I fear we're the ones who have pushed it to come true."

"You believe Hermione could turn on us?" Molly asked in surprise. Like her, Lily had been so adamant that Hermione was innocent in everything that had happened.

"I think we've betrayed her in the most terrible way, and she's with people who will use her heartbreak to their advantage," Lily answered with a sigh. "Like it or not, we've pushed her into Draco's arms."

"You mean our sons have," Molly snorted. "I still can't get over how they reacted at graduation. I know I tried to defend Ron, and I know he hit Hermione by accident, but I've never been as ashamed of him as I was at that moment. What sort of boys did we raise to be so full of hatred?"

"I know what you mean, some of the things Harry said made me sick," Lily admitted. "I hate to say this, but I think we let our fear and hatred of Voldemort cloud what we said around the boys. We allowed that hate to fester in them, and they took it out on an innocent girl."

"Do you think she'll ever forgive us?" Molly questioned with a long sigh.

"If you were in her place, would you?"

"No. Would you?"

"No. I think we've lost Hermione for good. All we can do is hope that she doesn't let the Malfoys lead her into the darkness."

"And her father," Molly whispered. "We can't forget him. If he is back, he could be a major influence on her. We haven't seen the dark side of Hermione yet, but we might still get to face her wrath."

"Dear god, I hope not," Lily whispered, paling at the thought of facing a vengeful daughter of The Dark Lord.

As the mood began to darken, both witches were relieved to hear sound inside the house as their sons appeared. However their relief quickly turned to worry as it was obvious that something was bothering Harry and Ron. The pair looked as though they'd received a major shock and they were positively white as they sat down at the garden table with their mothers.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked, reaching out to give Harry's hand a squeeze and breathing a sigh of relief when her son didn't pull away from her.

"We saw Hermione," Harry answered.

"What? By accident?" Molly asked.

"We arranged to meet her," Ron replied.

"Why?" Lily asked, eying the boys suspiciously. Even though they'd seemingly let the matter of Hermione drop, she didn't for one minute believe that they'd changed their minds about everything they'd been accusing her of.

"We were trying to lure her into a trap," Harry admitted. "We were going to pretend to be her friend again, and get close to her to find a way to take her down."

"Not this again," Molly hissed. "How many times do you have to be told that Hermione is innocent? That poor girl had her life torn to shreds in front of everyone, and instead of supporting her, you two cast her aside. She's innocent."

"We know," Ron whispered, shocking both Molly and Lily.

"You know," Lily repeated. "I don't understand. What exactly happened?"

"Hermione hates us," Harry said, only now just beginning to feel the pain of having one of his closest friends look at him as though he was dirt on the bottom of her shoe. "We've hurt her so much, and she can't forgive us."

"I can't say I blame her there," Molly replied primly. "But what happened to being convinced she was behind everything?"

"We found out the truth," Ron answered. "We met with Hermione, and she was genuinely heartbroken over how we've treated her. Not that we realised it was genuine until after she'd stormed out and we found out the truth."

"What truth?" Lily demanded, growing sick of the boys beating around the bush.

"It was Malfoy," Harry replied. "All along it was Draco sodding Malfoy. You were right, Hermione knew nothing. She was innocent. Malfoy and his father were behind everything."

"How do you know this?" Molly asked with a confused frown. She hardly thought any of the Malfoys would confess to being behind recent events when they'd done so much in the public eye to portray themselves as upstanding members of the wizarding community.

"Malfoy was with Hermione, and he all but confessed after she'd left," Ron explained.

"But he didn't actually confess?" Lily checked.

"Not in as many words, but he's too clever for that," Harry said. "But he said enough to let us know how wrong we've been. It wasn't Hermione behind all those Death Eater attacks and everything else that happened, it was the Malfoys. They've known who Hermione was, and they set it up so we would push her away. Damn Malfoy read us perfectly. He knew how we would react when the truth about Hermione was revealed. All he had to do was wait for us to deliver her to him on a plate."

"What do you mean deliver him to her?" Molly questioned. "What else aren't you saying?"

"And how could they have known who Hermione was?" Lily added.

"They're bonded," Ron spat. "Hermione and Malfoy were bonded as children. You should have heard him Mum, crowing about how we'd driven her into his arms. She's with him because of us."

"They're together?" Molly checked.

"Not really, but since they're bonded it'll happen eventually," Harry replied with a slight shrug. "Only now she won't be reluctant to accept the bond because we shunned her and the Malfoys swept in and played her knights in shining armour. We've been totally and utterly outplayed. Malfoy and his damn father must have been laughing at us this entire time."

"A bond would explain them knowing who Hermione was," Lily muttered thoughtfully. "Lucius Malfoy is not a stupid man, and he must have known that she wasn't dead. At graduation, he said that they thought she was dead, but that isn't true. They've always known Athena was alive."

"But how long have they known she was Hermione?" Molly mused.

"Probably since Malfoy started school," Harry said.

"If that was the case, they would have done something long before now," Molly pointed out. "It must be a recent development. Maybe something happened with the bond and it alerted Lucius who Hermione was."

"Does it really matter what alerted him?" Ron demanded. "Surely what matters is that the Malfoys knew who Hermione was. All year they've known who she was, and they've manipulated things to turn us against her. They wanted to get their hands on her, and now they've managed it."

"And now they also have Voldemort in their corner," Harry added. "Hermione denied he was back, but it might have been because she no longer trusts us, or she might not yet know about his return."

"If she doesn't know, his return could push her back towards us," Molly suggested hopefully. "It would prove she's been lied to by the Malfoys, as they must know he's back by now."

"It won't make a difference," Harry said with a sad shake of his head. "Even though the Malfoys are lying to her and using her, the Order did the same thing. She won't trust us again. If anything, she's more likely to let the Malfoys and the dark sway her to their way of thinking. She wasn't responsible for events of last year, but she is now a danger. The Hermione we knew and loved has gone. We helped destroy her, and I have an awful feeling that Athena Riddle is growing inside of her. Like it or not, Hermione is now the enemy, and the Malfoys and Voldemort will make sure she stays on their side."

"I hate to admit it, but he's making sense," Molly said to Lily, who didn't look convinced by her son's reasoning.

"I know," Lily confessed. "I just hate to think of Hermione as the enemy."

"So do we," Harry replied, regretting all the previous times he'd called Hermione the enemy as he'd been wrong and it was only now that she was a danger to them all.

"So what happens now?" Molly asked. "It's not like people are believing us that You-Know-Who is back. Have you seen the morning's papers, they're full of articles discrediting his return. No-one wants to believe he's back."

"They'll soon see for themselves," Harry said. "He won't stay quiet for long. And as for Hermione, we need to tread carefully. I think that for the time being, we back off and wait and see what happens. Maybe if we don't antagonise her, she won't give into the Malfoys manipulations and she won't give into the darkness inside her."

Molly and Lily both nodded in agreement, relief written all over their faces. They were both hoping that if Harry and Ron backed down it would prove an end to the fighting and peace could be resorted. It would be nice to go back to living in a world where they weren't constantly wondering what was going happen next and what new tragedy would befall the family.

"We're going to go upstairs for a bit," Harry said as he and Ron got to their feet and left their mothers to make some fresh tea as they discussed the latest turn of events.

"Were you serious?" Ron asked the second they were in Harry's bedroom with the door closed behind them.

"About what?" Harry questioned.

"Backing off," Ron answered. "I know we were wrong about Hermione being involved in what's happened, but we both know Malfoy won't just give in and let her live a peaceful life as his wife. He'll want power, and he'll think he can get it with You-Know-Who's daughter at his side. Backing off, won't achieve anything."

"I know, and you've struck the problem on the head," Harry said. "Left alone, Hermione is harmless. I can see that now. She's an innocent and even though we've broken her heart, she won't do anything to us. However, it's a different story if she's got Malfoy whispering in her ear. You saw the way he was with her, he's already playing the part of the perfect partner. Before you know it, he'll have Hermione wrapped around his little finger."

"So Malfoy's the problem?" Ron checked.

"He is," Harry answered with a nod. "He's the one we need to take out. If we're careful, we can save Hermione from the darkness without ever having to touch her. All we need to do is take out the Malfoys and her father."

"You make is sound so easy," Ron muttered.

"War isn't easy, Ron," Harry chuckled darkly. "But we can do it. Let's focus on Malfoy first. You and I are going to take him out and no-one, not even our parents, are going to know we've done it."

"Do you have a plan?"

"Not yet," Harry confessed. "But together, I'm sure we'll come up with something."

As the two wizards settled down to plot, Hermione was several miles away not realising that her attempt to get Harry and Ron to believe in her innocence had put the life of the wizard she loved in danger. She had no idea of the dangerous path she'd set Harry and Ron on, and if she had known, she never would have gotten Draco to pretend that he was the brains behind recent events. Not when it could very well end up getting him killed.


	12. Chapter 12

Draco rapped on the bedroom door of the room Voldemort was staying in, and patiently waited for permission to enter. When it came, the instruction to enter was delivered in a quiet but commanding voice. Entering the room, Draco found Voldemort sitting in a chair beside the window.

The Dark Lord was now well enough to get out of bed, although he'd only progressed to spending a couple of hours a day sitting beside the window. Even so, the improvement in him was obvious to see and Draco had no doubt that before long the dark wizard's magic would start to return. Although what would happen once Voldemort was back to his old self remained to be seen, and Draco knew that Hermione was still worried that his father would want to resurrect his old ways.

"Draco," Voldemort greeted with a nod of his head as he gestured for the blond to take a seat. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Draco replied as he settled a chair opposite Voldemort and sunk into it. "How are you doing? You look so much better."

"I feel it," Voldemort replied with a slight smile. Even though he was still physically weak, it was his lack of magic that was getting to him the most. "So what can I do for you, Draco? I'm assuming it's got something to do with Athena."

"It has," Draco confirmed as he cleared his throat. "This is probably slightly redundant considering the fact we were bonded when we were children, but I want to ask your permission to ask Hermione to marry me."

"Ah, a wizard who still believes in traditions," Voldemort said with a weak chuckle. "Yes Draco, I give you my permission to marry my daughter."

"Thank you, Sir," Draco replied with a smile. Even though he and Hermione had first talked about marriage months ago, recent events had overtaken them and nothing had ever happened on that front.

"Before you go, I want to ask you about Athena," Voldemort said. "I haven't seen much of her lately. Is everything alright with her?"

"Yeah, she's just busy with the potions company," Draco answered. In recent weeks his girlfriend's focus had been on sorting out the business Voldemort had bought decades ago.

"And is Severus working out?" Voldemort checked.

"He is," Draco replied. "Hermione's signed over a share of the business to him. He was thrilled to be able to hand in his notice at Hogwarts."

"Speaking of Hogwarts, how are things with the Order?"

"Quiet," Draco answered.

After the initial reports in the papers about Voldemort's return, and then the subsequent denials, they'd all been waiting for the Order to keep banging on about Voldemort. However, everything had gone quiet and not one more allegation had made the papers.

"That's good isn't it," Voldemort said, watching Draco closely and noticing that he didn't seem very happy with the idea of the Order being quiet.

"It could be," Draco conceded. "Or it could mean they're being sneaky and are planning something."

"I thought Athena said the Order had lost several members and supporters," Voldemort said.

"They did," Draco admitted. "But it's not the general Order I'm worrying about. It's Potter and Weasley."

"Didn't you and Athena sort them?" Voldemort questioned with a frown. Even though he hadn't seen much of his daughter just lately, he was well aware that a few weeks ago she'd seen her former friends and was confident that there would be no more problems where they were concerned.

"Hermione likes to think so, but my gut is telling me we haven't heard the last of them," Draco replied.

"How much trouble could they cause?" Voldemort asked in concern. Given the state he was in, he was in no position to help his daughter, but he was hoping Draco would be there to make sure no harm came to Athena.

"Plenty," Draco answered with a humourless chuckle. "Just the other day, Father told me the pair had been turned down for Auror training. I kind of thought that would rile them up and get them causing trouble, but they seem to have taken it all in their stride."

"They do have other careers. Didn't Lucius say they were both involved in professional quidditch?"

"They are. But they applied to be Aurors following their discovery that you were still alive. I can't see them dropping things the way they seem to have done."

"Athena doesn't seem worried," Voldemort pointed out.

"That's because when it comes to those two, she's got a blind spot. Don't forget she was friends with them for seven years."

"But she destroyed them and their families last year," Voldemort argued.

"Potter and Weasley only became targets because of their reaction to finding out she existed," Draco retorted. "Even after graduation when they turned on her so spectacularly, she still didn't want to have to take them out. She thought convincing them that she was innocent all along would put an end to the danger they represented."

"And you don't think so," Voldemort said.

"I thought it was a possibility at the time, and the fact they've been quiet since then seems to prove Hermione right," Draco admitted.

"But yet you're still uneasy," Voldemort stated.

"I am," Draco said with a nod. "Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I don't believe it's over. I can't believe it would be this easy to win."

"Trust your instincts, Draco," Voldemort advised. "If you don't think this is over, then be on your guard. Do you think Athena is safe outside of the manor?"

"She's fine," Draco answered. "When she's not here, she's with Severus. Besides, I can sense her and I know she's okay."

"You can sense her?" Voldemort frowned. "Is that your bond?"

"Yes. Ours is a very strong bond," Draco replied. "Whenever we're not together, it's as though a part of us is missing. Since we've actually been together, the bond has only gotten stronger and we would know if the other one is in trouble."

"Even so, keep a close eye on her," Voldemort warned. "If anything happens to her, I wouldn't be able to stand it."

"Nor would I," Draco agreed. "But don't worry, I would rather die than let any harm come to Hermione."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Voldemort muttered.

* * *

 _ **G.O.V.**_

* * *

Following her meeting with Harry and Ron, Hermione had waited with baited breath for some response from her former friends. However, nothing happened. There was no letter as Draco had predicted, nor was there anything else in the papers about her father's return. There wasn't even a reaction when they were turned down for Auror training. On the surface of things, it would appear that Harry and Ron had decided not to waste their time on trying to bring her down and were instead focused on their own lives.

Hermione, however, wasn't as sure that they'd heard the last of her friends. Outwardly she portrayed an air of calm, and even with Draco she was insistent that things with Harry and Ron had been dealt with. But in private she was worried about what the pair were planning. After seven years of being friends with the pair, she knew how stubborn they were and she would be highly surprised if they weren't planning anything.

However, since she couldn't do anything until Harry and Ron struck, she'd been focusing on her business. It had been easy enough to convince Severus to join her in the venture and his experience was proving invaluable. Lucius had also been a great help and Hermione was confident that with the two older wizards at her side, she would build a successful business and maybe even an empire in time.

With so much time devoted to her business, Hermione felt as though she'd been neglecting Draco, so she was more than happy when her boyfriend suggested a romantic evening together. Not wanting to be interrupted at the manor, he'd booked a suite in a posh hotel on the coast and whisked Hermione away for a night of luxury and romance.

"This place is gorgeous," Hermione declared, wandering around the suite while Draco unpacked their bags.

"It's the best the hotel has to offer," Draco answered distractedly.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, picking up on the nerves in Draco's voice.

"Fine," Draco replied, giving his girlfriend a reassuring smile.

"Liar," Hermione retorted. "You've been jumpy for days. What's wrong? Is it Harry and Ron, has something happened with them?"

"Are you expecting something to happen?" Draco asked. "You've been saying that they're sorted."

"I've been hoping they're sorted," Hermione admitted.

"So you don't think we've heard the last of them?"

"I would like to think so, but no, I don't think we've heard the last of them. But all we can do is be ready for when they strike."

"Which won't be tonight," Draco said, pulling Hermione into his arms. "No-one can find us here, Hermione. Even our parents don't know where we are."

"What's with the mystery?" Hermione asked with a smile. "You haven't kidnapped me, have you?"

"Maybe I have," Draco replied with a laugh. "Maybe I want you all to myself."

"You've already got me," Hermione whispered. "You've had me since the day we were bonded as children."

"Not really. We spent years apart, never knowing what we were missing. Do you ever think of what we would be like if we'd grown up together? Our magic would have been connected all our lives. We would be even more powerful if we hadn't been denied the chance to be together."

"We're powerful enough," Hermione replied. "We're certainly powerful enough to deal with whatever threat Harry and Ron will pose. Nothing is going to stop us achieving our dreams, Draco."

"And what are those dreams? World domination?"

Hermione laughed at the mention of the rumoured prophecy about them. In it she was said to be destined to rule the world with her dragon by her side. While the idea was certainly appealing, it wasn't what Hermione wanted. She didn't want to rule the world, she just wanted to have a normal life with the people she loved. Especially now her father was back and she'd gotten a second chance to build a relationship with the wizard, whose 'death' had triggered the unleashing of her dark nature.

"All I want is you, and a life together," Hermione told her boyfriend. "Well, you and our parents. I guess I want the family Dumbledore and the Order stole from me. What do you want?"

"The same," Draco answered.

Releasing Hermione from his arms, Draco pulled his wand from his pocket and summoned a small box he'd hidden in their bag. With the box in his hand, he dropped to one knee in front of Hermione. At the sight, Hermione gasped slightly and wondered how she hadn't seen a proposal coming. They'd talked about marriage before, but it never occurred to her that Draco was about to officially propose.

"I was going to wait until after dinner to do this, but the time seems perfect now," Draco said as he popped open the box revealing a delicate emerald and sapphire ring which was a family heirloom. "Athena Riddle, will you marry me?"

"Of course I will," Hermione answered, engulfing Draco in her arms and smothering him with kisses.

In a tumble of laughter, the pair fell to the floor. Finally prising Hermione off him, Draco pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it onto Hermione's finger.

"It's beautiful," Hermione whispered, admiring the ring.

"You're beautiful," Draco said with a smile.

"I love you," Hermione said, wrapping her arms around her new fiancé and pressing a deep kiss to his lips.

"I love you too," Draco returned as his arms slid around Hermione's waist and one of his hands snaked up under her top.

In a flurry of kisses and heated touches, clothes were discarded and despite the bed being only inches away, the couple made love on the bedroom floor. Eventually they did make it to bed, where they ordered room service and ate in the privacy of their room, where they could remain naked.

"What happens now?" Hermione asked, several hours later as she lay in Draco's arms.

"Usually when people get engaged, they follow it up with a wedding," Draco replied with a chuckle.

"I know, but publically we're not even together," Hermione pointed out. "Unless we're going to undo all the hard work we've put into keeping me looking innocent, we can't have a quick wedding. When we get married, I don't want to have to hide how much I love you."

"Then it's time we progressed our public relationship," Draco said. "Potter and Weasley already know about us, and as you pointed out, there's no point fighting fate. It'll be the most natural thing in the world for us to embrace our destiny and get together properly."

"And what if it triggers the reaction from Harry and Ron?" Hermione asked.

"I hope it does," Draco replied. "The sooner we deal with the pair of them, the better. I want them out of our lives, Hermione. I want to get to the point where we don't have to worry about either of them ever again."

Hermione voiced her agreement, before distracting her fiancé by diving under the bed covers. Returning to their previous sexual activities, neither Draco nor Hermione gave Harry and Ron another thought. However, they were in the thoughts of the Gryffindor pair as several miles away, Hermione's former friends finalised their plans to deal with Draco once and for all.


	13. Chapter 13

Sitting in a chair beside her father's bed, Hermione watched with a frown on her face as Voldemort made his first attempt at using magic since his return. For the last week or so, he'd been claiming that he could start and feel the magic inside him returning. So in order to help her father with his magic, Hermione had asked Lucius to procure them a basic wand Voldemort could use. However, things were not going according to plan and Hermione was watching an increasingly frustrated, and embarrassed, Voldemort failing to perform even the simplest of spells.

"This is a waste of sodding time," Voldemort spat, hurling the wand across the room with all his strength. Not that he had too much strength as although he was spending more and more time out of bed, he was still weak and still needed plenty of rest.

"Maybe it's too soon," Hermione said gently as she picked up the discarded wand. "We knew your magic wasn't going to return within weeks."

"I can feel it inside of me," Voldemort insisted. "My magic is growing stronger with each passing day, just like my physical strength."

"Even your physical strength is building up slowly," Hermione said, watching as her father sunk into the chair beside the window, looking totally exhausted by his efforts to wield magic. "We don't want you to push yourself and suffer a setback."

"I'm stronger than I look, Athena," Voldemort muttered.

"Hmm," Hermione muttered with an arched eyebrow. In her opinion her father was trying to do too much too quickly, and the last thing she wanted was for him to suffer a relapse, not now she was finally getting to know and love him.

"You sound just like your mother when you do that," Voldemort remarked with a weak chuckle. "It was her way of disagreeing with what I said without actually saying so. The annoying thing was, she was usually right."

"But did you ever listen to her?" Hermione asked.

"If it suited me," Voldemort replied honestly. "I'm a stubborn man, Athena. But I'm sure you already know that."

"I had noticed," Hermione laughed. "But I think it's where I get it from. The more I get to know you, the more of myself I can see in you."

"I see the same thing," Voldemort admitted. "I can see so much of myself in you, but I can also see so much of your mother. She would have been so proud of you, Athena. I once told you that she wasn't dark in the same way I am, but she would have approved of how you handled things last year."

"Would she really?" Hermione wondered. She'd never questioned that her father would have approved of her desire for revenge, but she'd never been as sure what her mother's stance would have been on the matter.

"She would," Voldemort confirmed with a nod. "Your mother was no angel, Athena. She knew who I was, and what exactly I was capable of, when we got together. She never once tried to change me, she accepted me as I was. In fact, there were times she openly encouraged me and advised me on the best course of action when dealing with the Order."

"And what do you think she would say about the situation now?" Hermione asked. Given the fact her father was still so weak, she was very much in charge and would decide what happened, but some advice would be appreciated.

"What is the situation?" Voldemort asked.

"It's all quiet at the moment, but my gut says it won't stay that way," Hermione admitted. "I think Harry and Ron will do something sooner or later."

"Just Potter and Weasley, or the rest of the Order as well?" Voldemort questioned.

"I don't know about the rest of the Order," Hermione replied. "You know that I don't want to fight, and I don't want another war. But I will have to act if Harry and Ron strike."

"In that case, I think your mother's advice would be to be prepared," Voldemort said. "I know what you want, Athena, but as I've said before, we don't always get what we want. You might have to fight. I just wish I could be more use to you," he added with a defeated sigh. "But I've yet to leave the manor, and as we've discovered my magic isn't ready to work."

"Maybe we've approached this all wrong," Hermione mused, twirling the wand her father had been using around in her hands.

"What do you mean?" Voldemort asked.

"I asked Lucius to get you a basic wand," Hermione explained. "Maybe what we should have done was track down your original wand. It's already attuned to your magic, and it would likely be the best way to help with the return of your magic."

"It sounds like a good idea, but my wand went missing the night Dumbledore attacked," Voldemort pointed out.

"But we don't know if it was destroyed in the fire," Hermione argued. "Dumbledore might very well have taken it."

"If he had, surely it would have been found when he died," Voldemort said.

"Not necessarily," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "There would have been no reason for anyone to search through his belongings after his death. Your wand could have been packed up with everything else he owned."

"In that case, it'll be lost," Voldemort said with a disappointed shrug. He would have loved his own wand back, but it was beginning to look like it wasn't going to happen.

"Not necessarily," Hermione repeated thoughtfully. "After Dumbledore's death, Lucius said his brother got all of Dumbledore's possessions. It's a long shot, but he might still have them."

"Do you really think he wouldn't have sorted them by now?" Voldemort snorted.

"He might, but I never heard Dumbledore talk about his brother," Hermione said. "I don't think they were very close. If we're lucky, Dumbledore's brother will still have his effects somewhere and we can look through them for your wand."

"So what's your plan, just ask Dumbledore's bother if you can look through his stuff?" Voldemort asked. "I don't think you can sweet talk your way into doing this."

"I wasn't planning on asking for permission," Hermione chuckled. "I was thinking of doing it on the sly. I'll get Draco and his friends to help me."

"Just don't take any unnecessary risks," Voldemort warned. "My wand isn't important, Athena."

"It is to me," Hermione replied as she got to her feet. "I'll let you know how we get on, but I've got to go now. Draco's taking me out to dinner, and I need to get ready."

"He's taking you out?" Voldemort asked in surprise. "As in out of the manor?"

"Yes, we're going public," Hermione replied. "When we get married, we want to do it properly, and in order to do that we need to further our relationship in public."

"Won't it attract Potter and Weasley's attention?" Voldemort checked.

"Maybe," Hermione conceded. "But I'm going to follow your advice and be ready for anything they're going to throw at us."

Saying goodbye to her father, Hermione headed off to get ready for dinner, her mind whirling with ideas as to how to find her father's wand. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle it herself, which was why she was going to discuss the matter with Draco, but she also thought she might need Lucius's help. It would be handy to know everything they could about Dumbledore's brother before planning on the best way to get into his house and look to see if he still had his brother's possessions in his custody.

Once she was dressed, Hermione had a few minutes to spare, so she paid a visit to Lucius and explained her idea to try and find her father's wand. Lucius immediately thought it had potential, as like her he was under the impression that Dumbledore and his brother hadn't been close. With a promise from Lucius to find out what he could about Aberforth Dumbledore, and if it was possible he still had his brothers effects, Hermione left her future father-in-law's office in order to meet her fiancé and head out to dinner.

By the time she returned to the bedroom, Draco had arrived home and was in the middle of getting ready. As he did so, she quickly filled him in on her discussion with Voldemort and her decision to try and find his wand. Draco also thought the plan had potential, but he warned Hermione not to get her hopes up.

"After all, there's a good chance Dumbledore either didn't take the wand in the first place, or destroyed it afterwards," he warned his fiancée. "In his shoes, I'm not sure I'd want to hang onto the wand of a dangerous opponent. He would have known how much trouble it would cause if your father ever got his hands on his wand again."

"Don't forget we're talking about Albus Dumbledore here," Hermione reminded Draco. "He didn't think like normal people. Knowing him, he probably kept the wand as a souvenir. I could imagine him getting a kick out of having The Dark Lord's wand in his possession."

"Yeah, I could picture that too," Draco conceded. "But let's not get carried away. There's a good chance, we're never going to find your father's wand."

"I know, but we have to try," Hermione replied.

Agreeing to do everything he could to help, Draco finished getting ready, and once he was done the pair headed off their evening out. Draco had booked them a table at a fancy, new restaurant, and Hermione was well aware that their presence would set tongues wagging in the wizarding world. There was also a good chance the press would get hold of the story as the part of wizarding London the restaurant was in was favoured by the rich and famous.

"This place is really posh," Hermione whispered as she and Draco were seated at one of the prime tables on a balcony which overlooked a beautiful park.

"And very noticeable," Draco replied. On the way to their table, he'd already clocked a couple of famous quidditch players and a few high up officials in the Ministry, all of whom the press liked to talk about.

"Do you think this dinner will make the papers?" Hermione asked.

"I think there's a good chance," Draco said with a nod of his head. "So we'll have to be careful."

"I know," Hermione replied, looking down at her hand to where she'd removed her engagement ring before they'd left the manor. "As far as everyone is concerned, our romance is just beginning."

"Don't look so glum," Draco chuckled. "It's an excuse for me to spoil you for a few weeks. I can publically woo you, and then before we know it, we'll be head over heels in love."

"And then we can announce an engagement, and start planning the wedding," Hermione agreed. "How long do you think we'll have to wait?"

"I guess it depends on how long it takes for us to make it seem as though we've fallen for each other," Draco answered.

"That won't take long," Hermione replied with a smile. "Given the fact we're bonded, and destined to be together, it's only natural that we'd get closer. Not to mention the fact everyone thinks I've only just found out about my true heritage and have been abandoned by my friends."

"You have been abandoned," Draco pointed out. "Let's face it, Potter and Weasley had a choice. They didn't have to hate you based on who your father was. They chose to turn on you. Not everyone turned against you."

"No, they didn't," Hermione agreed, her mind turning to the people who'd supported her following recent events. "Which reminds me, I want to speak to your father about reinvesting in the twins shop. I want to make things right for them."

"Or you could always invest yourself," Draco suggested. "Now you're virtually part of the family, you can have access to the family's vaults. You're a rich witch now, Hermione."

"Do you really think I should invest in the twins business?" Hermione asked with a slight frown.

"Why not, if you're serious about making amends it makes sense," Draco replied with a slight shrug. "Besides, think of how it will wind up Weasley. Even if Potter and Weasley are now convinced that father and I were behind everything that happened last year, they're still not going to trust you. Not now they know that we're bonded, and that your destiny is to become a Malfoy."

"I'll think about it," Hermione said, filing the thought away to deal with at another time. "But for now, we've got a date to enjoy. And we want to put on a good show."

"Sod the show, let's just focus on having a good time," Draco retorted with a grin.

Doing just that, Hermione forgot about everything other than having a good time with Draco. Caught up with each other the pair initially failed to spot a photographer lurking in the park, snapping pictures of their date. However, they did notice the flash of his camera as they got up to leave and Draco pulled out Hermione's chair.

"I think it's safe to say we've been spotted," he whispered in his fiancée's ear.

"Good," Hermione replied with a smile, hoping that whoever had taken the pictures worked for The Daily Prophet, or at least had the sense to sell them to the paper.

The sooner the public knew of their romance, the sooner they could escalate things and announce their engagement. Then they could start planning their wedding and Hermione would finally get the happy ending she'd been longing for, for so long.


	14. Chapter 14

Sitting in a chair beside Harry's desk in his bedroom, Ron kept staring down at the day's paper. The Daily Prophet was open on the gossip page, and dominating the page was a picture of Hermione with Draco. The pair had been snapped strolling hand in hand down Diagon Alley, and according to the article they'd appeared to be pretty loved up and only had eyes for each other.

With a snort of annoyance, Ron swept the paper off Harry's desk and into the bin sitting under the desk. Not that getting rid of the paper solved Ron's problem as all he could think about was his former girlfriend. The picture of Hermione was not the first one to hit the papers over the last few weeks. It had all started when Hermione and Draco were snapped having a romantic dinner together a few weeks ago, and since then the couple had made several more appearances in the paper. It was only at the weekend that they'd been pictured enjoying a romantic picnic, and around the same time word had leaked out about the fact that they were bonded.

Ron was well aware that to the general wizarding public it looked as though Draco was playing the dashing hero where Hermione was concerned. To those that didn't know the full story, it appeared as though he was supporting Hermione in the face of everyone she'd trusted and loved abandoning her. However, Ron knew the full story. He knew that everything that had happened had been Draco's fault. He and his father had planned and executed a fiendish plan to destroy the Order and alienate Hermione from the people she trusted the most. Although what was worse was that Ron and Harry had fallen into the trap, and when the truth about Hermione was revealed, they'd reacted exactly as the Malfoys had been banking on and had all but pushed her into the enemy's arms.

Even though Ron knew that he could never have been with Hermione once he knew whose daughter she was, he did regret the way he'd lashed out at her. It shamed him to think he'd hit a girl, even though it was an accident. It also annoyed him that he and Harry had been totally hoodwinked by the Malfoys and had been blind enough to blame Hermione for everything they'd done. If only they'd listened to everyone else where Hermione was concerned, she might still be with them.

But it was too late now, Hermione was well and truly ensconced with the Malfoys, and all they could do now was try and save her from having to marry Draco. They could also hopefully save her from her father, as Ron and Harry had been talking and they both believed that their former friend was in the dark about her father's return. No doubt the Malfoys knew Voldemort was back, but they believed that Hermione had no idea and that she still genuinely thought he was dead.

Ron and Harry had initially considered trying to get Hermione to see the truth about the Malfoys, but they'd decided that after everything they'd accused her of, they would never get her to believe anything they said. Besides, their recent meeting had proved once and for all that their friendship was over, and even though she'd never done anything to them yet, she might just lash out if they continued to push her. Really, all they could do for her was to try and get the bad influences out of her life before they tainted her and well and truly turned her into the daughter of The Dark Lord.

As such, the two wizards had a plan to get rid of Draco. It was clear, both from their meeting with Hermione and the recent pictures in the paper, that he was worming his way into Hermione's affections and he could well be the key to unlocking any darkness that lay within her. After all, he was part of the prophecy that had prompted the Order to take Hermione in the first place, and no matter what some other people thought, Ron and Harry were convinced that the prophecy was genuine and together Hermione and Draco could be a real threat to the wizarding world.

Just as Ron began to dwell on the plan he and Harry had been working on, the bedroom door opened and his best friend entered. Shutting, and silencing the door behind him, Harry greeted Ron and triumphantly pulled out a glass vial with several short, sandy brown hairs enclosed.

"You got them," Ron said with a grin.

"I did," Harry answered. "It should be enough for several doses of polyjuice potion."

"Let's hope we don't need more than one dose," Ron remarked as Harry made his way over the cupboard in the corner of the room.

When Harry opened the cupboard, he revealed a bubbling cauldron sitting on the floor of the cupboard. High above the cauldron was a long shelf, and on that shelf stood a couple of empty glass jars, and a matching vial like the one Harry had, only this one had several short, black hairs.

"Now we have everything," Harry said, placing the new vial of hairs next to the one they'd already procured.

"When will the polyjuice potion be ready?" Ron checked. Even though potions wasn't either of their strong suits, they'd still been confident enough to brew the potion themselves with the aid of one of their old potions books.

"It'll still be another week," Harry admitted. "But that gives us a few more days to make sure we know exactly what we're doing."

"I thought we knew," Ron remarked with a frown. "The plan is pretty simple. We send a note to Malfoy from Zabini, asking for a quick meeting. When Malfoy turns up, we'll be there polyjuiced to look like Zabini and Nott. We then convince him to come with us, and we take him to the cottage."

The cottage they were planning on taking Draco to was actually the same cottage that Dumbledore had held Voldemort for all those years. Harry had actually used some of his inheritance, which he'd received upon James's untimely death, to buy the cottage under an assumed name. That way if anything did go wrong, no-one could prove he and Ron had anything to do with the demise of Draco Malfoy.

As for the use of Blaise and Theo as people they could impersonate, it was an easy choice to use the two Slytherins given the fact they'd helped Draco discredit Ginny back in Hogwarts. Besides, it had been incredibly easy to find out what quidditch team Blaise had signed for and locate the pub nearest to their training ground, which most of the players used. From there it was easy enough to get close enough to Blaise using a few glamours and pick a few loose hairs from his clothing. It had been slightly harder to get hold of hairs from Theo, as he worked for a private business, but they'd found out where he lived, and where his local pub was, and procured the hairs from him in the same way they'd done with Blaise.

Now they had the hairs, and the polyjuice potion was nearly ready, all they needed to do was wait for the perfect time to spring their trap. They were both aware that timing was key to their plan working, and one wrong move timing wise would mean the plan wouldn't work, and might not work in the future. What they needed to do was make sure that when they sent a note to Draco asking for a meeting, he didn't either talk to Blaise or correspond with him before the meeting. That meant they had to send a note just hours before the meeting, and do it in such a way that Draco wouldn't feel the need to contact his best friend.

"I still think we should go over every detail," Harry said to Ron. "For one thing, we need to make sure we don't ask for a meeting if they're already meeting up. That'll arouse Malfoy's suspicions."

"How would we know if they're meeting up?" Ron asked. "The glamours worked well enough to get us hairs, but it won't help us get too close to Zabini and Nott."

"They'll get us close enough," Harry said. "Today while I was gathering the last of the hairs from Nott, he was with Zabini and they were talking about plans they had for the weekend with Malfoy. In fact, it sounded like they were up to something."

"Up to what?" Ron questioned with a frown.

"I don't know, they didn't go into details," Harry replied. "It was more of an impression I got. Something is going on this weekend, I'm sure of it."

"Maybe it's something to do with You-Know-Who," Ron suggested eagerly. "I bet you any money Malfoy knows that he's back. Hey, maybe we can get proof that Malfoy is in contact with him."

"And then what?" Harry questioned. "Send the proof to Hermione or the papers?"

"Why not," Ron shrugged. "It could cause a lot of trouble. And it would prove we were right. It's not like many people believe us, even most of the Order are dubious that You-Know-Who is still alive."

"Most of the Order are ready to walk away," Harry snorted. After the initial walkout from most of the youngsters everyone else had stuck around, but Harry knew that most people were on the verge of giving up and returning to their normal lives as they didn't believe there was anything, or anyone, to fight.

"But this could be just what we need to prove we were right," Ron argued.

"It sounds good in principal, but I don't think that Voldemort would be stupid enough to allow himself to be seen," Harry said. "Even if Malfoy does know where he is, my bet is he visits in private. I don't think we're going to be able to prove he's back until he does something to prove it."

"So what? We're just going to sit around and do nothing?" Ron asked.

"No, once we've dealt with Malfoy, we get to work on these Horcruxes," Harry declared. "Don't forget, once we've destroyed them, it'll be easy to take out Voldemort. He'll just be a man like any other."

"A dangerous one though," Ron warned. "Even without his Horcruxes, we can't underestimate him."

"Don't forget he's been without magic for years," Harry reminded his best friend. "If only the Ministry had given me Dumbledore's letter straight away after he'd died, we might have been able to stop him from escaping. After years of no magic, he had to have physically escaped, and chances were he was weak."

"But that was ages ago," Ron said cautiously. "He might have regained both his strength and his magic by now."

"Even if he has, I'm confident I can take him," Harry replied. "In fact, in between tracking down the Horcruxes we can start to train. Everyone else might be content to just sit back and do nothing, but when the worst happens, you and I will be prepared Ron."

"I'm up for training," Ron said with a nod. "What do you think is going to happen once we've dealt with Malfoy? His father won't just do nothing."

"I know," Harry replied with a nod. "And when Lucius Malfoy comes for us, we'll be ready. Don't forget that he's just as much to blame for what happened over the last year as Malfoy is. They were in it together."

"And what about Hermione?"

"I thought we agreed that we'd misjudged her, and that she wasn't involved in anything that happened."

"We did," Ron said. "But that's not to say she won't react when we take out Malfoy. You've seen the papers, Harry, she's falling for his knight in shining armour act. And what about her father? She might believe he's dead, but what do you think she'll do when she finds out that he was back and we killed him?"

"If the worst happens, we'll have to deal with Hermione as well," Harry replied solemnly. "With any luck, she hasn't been totally poisoned by the Malfoys, and even if she's upset she won't think of striking back. But if she does, we'll take her out as well. Can you handle that, Ron?"

"I can," Ron answered with a nod. Despite his regrets over how they'd handled things, at the end of the day Hermione was still the daughter of Lord Voldemort, and as such he didn't have too many problems with eliminating the potential threat she posed.

"Good, then let's get back to our plan to deal with Malfoy," Harry said. "Once the potion is ready, I think we need to get close enough to Zabini and Nott to find out if they have any plans with Malfoy. Once we know they've got other plans, we make out move."

"And what about this weekend?" Ron asked. "Do you think there's a way to find out what they're up to?"

"We can try, but you know as well as I do that it's hard to track someone with all the different methods of magical travel," Harry replied.

"Even so, we have to give it a try," Ron said.

Harry nodded his agreement, and temporarily leaving alone their plan to kidnap Draco, they turned their attention onto finding the beat way to keep and eye on the former Slytherins over the weekend and find out just what they were doing. Maybe if they did find a way to track the former Slytherins movements they would hit lucky and find out something useful, or even something that might persuade the rest of the Order that Voldemort wasn't dead. All they could do was try, and just hope that the Slytherins got cocky and weren't as careful as they should be. What they didn't realise was that Blaise and Theo didn't just have plans with Draco, their plans were also with Hermione, and there was no way in the world that she would leave anything to chance and risk anyone finding out just what the foursome would be doing over the weekend.


	15. Chapter 15

As midnight struck, four figures dressed all in black quietly appeared on the outskirts of Hogsmeade village. Their landing place was towards the back of the village, where buildings were scarce. However, the building they wanted was situated down a small street, about as far from the centre of the village as it was possible to get.

"Keep to the shadows and don't let yourselves be seen," Hermione hissed to the three wizards she had with her.

As well as the foursome being dressed all in black, Draco was wearing a black hat over his distinctive platinum blond hair which could be spotted even in the dark. However, none of the others needed hats to cover their head as Blaise had jet black hair, and while Hermione and Theo were brunettes, their hair was dark enough to blend into the background.

"How sure are we that the pub is empty?" Blaise asked as the foursome carefully made their way towards the run down pub, The Hog's Head.

"Closing time is eleven, and father assured us that he's lured Dumbledore's brother out for the evening," Draco answered in a low hiss as the group approached the back of the pub.

Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth, was the landlord of The Hog's Head, and Lucius had spent the last couple of weeks gathering intelligence on him for Hermione. Lucius had been able to determine that Aberforth still had all of his brother's belongings in storage, so if Voldemort's wand had been in Dumbledore's possession it was now likely in Aberforth's. Lucius had also discovered that Aberforth rarely left his home, which was why he'd used his influence to lure the old wizard out of the pub to take part in an illicit gambling match. However, the plan left them with no idea how long Aberforth would be gone, and although Lucius had promised to do his utmost to keep him away from Hogsmeade as long as possible, Hermione was aware that the quicker they completed their task the better it would be.

"The place looks deserted enough," Theo remarked as the foursome checked out the dark building in front of them.

"Let's trust in Lucius and proceed as though the place is empty," Hermione said, wondering if they should have set up some form of communication with Lucius, so he could have confirmed that Aberforth wasn't anywhere near the pub. Although on the other hand, Hermione would like to think that if for some reason Aberforth hadn't turned up, Lucius would have alerted them.

"What sort of wards will there be around the place?" Blaise asked as no-one made any move to get too close to the pub.

"That, we couldn't find out," Hermione admitted with a slight wince. "Since Aberforth rarely leaves the place, we didn't get a chance to check out his security."

"But father did say that from what he'd witnessed and heard, Aberforth was no great shakes with magic," Draco added.

"I guess we'll soon find out what we're dealing with," Hermione said as she pulled out her wand.

The three wizards all followed suit, and produced their own wands, and together the foursome entered the back yard of the pub. With every step they expected to feel some sort of wards repelling them from the property, but they reached the back door of the pub without any interference.

"Stupid old git," Theo sneered as he reached for the back door. "The old fool's left the place unprotected."

However, the second Theo's hand touched the handle on the back door a crackling sound could be heard and Theo pulled his hand back with a loud curse.

"Sodding hell, My hand is burnt," he cried, cradling his hand, which was turning red and starting to blister.

"Maybe Aberforth's not such a stupid old git," Draco remarked as Hermione took hold of Theo's hand and tried to stop the burning with water from her wand.

"I'm not sure this is doing much," Hermione muttered. "I think you're going to need to see a healer, Theo."

"At least you've stopped it from burning," Theo said. "I can see a healer later, once I've got myself a cover story as to how I've burned my hand."

"You don't need a cover story, you can see our private healer," Draco offered. "He doesn't ask any awkward questions."

"Speaking of awkward questions, how are we going to get inside now?" Blaise asked as Hermione pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and tied it around Theo's burnt fingers.

"Try the window and see if it's armed with the same ward," Hermione ordered, his focus still on Theo's hand.

"I'm not touching a window," Blaise said with a rough shake of his head. "I don't fancy joining Theo at the healers."

"Use something other than your hand to try the window," Hermione snapped.

Gingerly, Blaise poked his wand towards the window. The second the tip of his wand hit the window pane, a lot of energy ran through him and he jumped back cursing.

"It's got the same ward attached," Blaise muttered, checking himself out to make sure he wasn't hurt. Luckily, all he'd received was a shock and he was physically unhurt.

"What now?" Draco asked Hermione. He already knew how he would proceed, but his girlfriend was the one in charge.

"We don't have time to break through the wards subtly," Hermione said.

"So we use force," Draco concluded with a smirk.

"We do," Hermione confirmed. "And you know the quickest way to do that, don't you?"

"Indeed I do," Draco replied with a low chuckle. "Boys, you might want to step back a bit."

"Why?" Theo asked tentatively as he and Blaise backed away from the smirking couple. "Just what are you going to do?"

"We're going to give you a small taste of what exactly we're capable of together," Hermione replied.

Once they were sure Blaise and Theo were at a safe distance, Hermione and Draco positioned themselves in front of the back door of the pub. Even though they hadn't done as much practising with their duel wands as they possibly should have done since leaving Hogwarts, they knew that their connection was stronger than ever and that could achieve almost anything if they worked together. Breaking into a pub was going to be child's play for them.

"Ready?" Hermione asked her fiancé, not bothering to check what spell they would be using as they were so in sync, she would be very surprised if they used different ones.

"Ready," Draco confirmed. "On the count of three. One, two, three."

"Bombarda!" the pair cried together as twin jets of light left their wands at exactly the same time.

Hermione felt the energy coursing through her as the spell left her wand, and she knew that the connection with Draco had worked perfectly. Sure enough when their spells hit the back door of The Hog's Head, it didn't just blow the door open as the spell was designed to do, it smashed the door to smithereens. A shower of wooden splinters rained all over the back year and into the back room of the pub.

"Holy hell," Blaise gasped, surveying the damage. "That was awesome."

"That was scary," Theo whispered. "If you wanted the pair of you could tear a person limb from limb."

"We could do a lot of things," Hermione agreed with a nod. "And I think what we need to do now is set up an alert around the pub. Someone might have heard something, and I don't want to be caught out."

Again using their duel magic, Hermione and Draco erected a ward around the pub that would alert them if anyone entered the yard surrounding the pub. The alert would make the air around the pub to shimmer green if it was activated, and Hermione warned Blaise and Theo that if that happened they were to leave without a backwards glance. If the worst happened and they were disturbed, they would regroup at Malfoy Manor and plan what to do next.

"Do you both know what we're looking for?" Draco asked his friends before they entered the pub.

"A wand," Blaise answered. In fact he and Theo knew whose wand they were searching for, although they hadn't yet met Voldemort as he was keeping his return quiet. "But how will we know if it's the right one?"

"How many wands do you think Dumbledore had lying around?" Draco snorted.

"With that old coot, I'd hate to guess," Blaise retorted. "Who knows what he'd been up to over the years."

"Blaise is right, we can't rule out the possibility that Dumbledore had multiple wands in his possession," Hermione said. "We take any wand we can find. But don't expect it to just be lying around. Don't forget, Dumbledore wasn't supposed to have my father's wand. He would have kept it hidden."

"In other words, search everywhere," Theo said.

"Exactly," Hermione replied with a nod as she led the way into the pub.

Given the fact they were breaking and entering, they could hardly light up the pub so they had to search in the darkness. Hermione was hoping that all of Dumbledore's things would be together in one room, and her hopes were realised when they entered a back bedroom and found it crammed with boxes.

"I think this is what we're looking for," Hermione remarked.

"Maybe, but how are we going to search the boxes in the dark?" Theo questioned. "We don't want to miss anything."

"Theo's right, we have to do something," Draco mused, looking towards the small window, which was letting in enough moonlight so that they could see a bit, but not enough for them to search by. "I can cast a cloaking spell on the window, to create the illusion it's all dark in here, and then we can light our wands."

"Do it," Hermione ordered.

Once the spell was in place, the foursome lit their wands and got to work searching through the boxes. As the search got under-way, Hermione found herself distracted a couple of times by various bits and pieces and she briefly wondered if she should have told the boys to grab anything that looked interesting. But they weren't there to be thieves, they were merely retrieving property that hadn't been Dumbledore's in the first place.

Ten minutes into the search, Hermione felt as though they were getting nowhere. Not only had they not found her father's wand, but it felt as though they still had most of the boxes to search through. As Hermione started on yet another box, she was distracted by a low whistle from Draco.

"Have you found something?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, a pile of books," Draco replied.

"Boring," Theo snorted with a roll of his eyes.

"It's hardly ground-breaking news, Draco," Blaise added. "I'm sure half of these boxes are full of books."

"These aren't just any books, they're banned books," Draco said. "Or at least some of them are. I recognise some of the titles as ones my father keeps in the secret room in the library."

"The library at the manor has a secret room?" Hermione questioned.

"It's where father keeps his banned books and other Dark Arts books that might get him into trouble," Draco replied. "I'll show it to you some time. But I would say a good portion of this box of books is the same as what's in the manor, and even those we might not have are about the Dark Arts."

"Why would Dumbledore have books about the Dark Arts?" Theo asked with a frown. "And banned books at that. Surely he'd be in trouble if someone found them."

"This is Dumbledore we're talking about, he was an expert at talking his way out of trouble," Hermione snorted. "Besides, he likely would have claimed the books were to help him in the fight against my father."

"I bet the crafty old bugger has used a few dark spells in his time," Draco remarked as he checked the books for hidden flaps or compartment where Dumbledore could have stashed The Dark Lord's wand.

"More than likely," Hermione agreed with a nod, turning her attention back to the box she was about to explore before Draco had disturbed them.

Inside the box were bits and pieces Hermione recognised from Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts. Like with the other boxes, Hermione made sure she examined every single item in the box carefully, not wanting to miss anything. The final thing in the box was a large wooden, quill storage box decorated with engraved peacock feathers, which Hermione could recall seeing standing on Dumbledore's desk at Hogwarts. Each compartment still held a fancy quill, some of which looked brand new. Emptying the box, just to be sure she wasn't missing anything, Hermione ran her fingers over the wooden material in search for hidden compartments. Just as she was about to concede defeat, as she'd felt she'd done with everything else, Hermione's fingers brushed over one of the feather engravings and she noticed it was raised whereas the others were flat.

"What is it?" Draco asked, noticing Hermione scrutinising the wooden box in her hand.

"There's something not quite right with this box," Hermione answered, explaining about the raised engraving.

"Trace your wand over the feather," Draco advised. "I've seen old boxes locked with a magical engraving. You trace the right engraving with a wand and the box opens, or in this case, maybe a secret compartment."

Hoping that she was onto something, Hermione got Draco to move closer with his lighted wand, so she see while she used her wand to carefully trace the raised engraving. As her wand finished it's journey around the feather, she heard a small clicking sound and looking at the front of the box she found a new, previously invisible, drawer had opened slightly at the bottom of the box, underneath the last quill holder. Exchanging hopeful looks with Draco, Hermione carefully pulled open the thin drawer and found a wand nestled on black velvet.

"We've found it," Draco gasped as Hermione removed the wand from it's hiding place.

"Is it The Dark Lord's?" Blaise asked as he and Theo took in what Hermione had just found.

"I don't know," Hermione replied, turning the wand over in her fingers. "But my instincts are saying yes. Dumbledore kept this quill box on his desk at Hogwarts. It probably amused him to know my father's wand was hidden inside. And to think, I've been in his office dozens of times and was only inches away from it."

"The perverted old goat probably got a kick out of that as well," Draco snorted.

"Does this mean we're finished here?" Theo asked.

"Even though I'm sure this is what we came for, we need to be sure there's no other wand," Hermione said. "We don't leave until we've searched all the boxes."

Getting back to work the foursome spent another hour searching boxes, but they came up with nothing else. Finally, Hermione announced that it was time to leave as she was fairly certain they'd gotten what they'd come for.

"What about the door?" Blaise asked as they left the pub, via the broken back door.

"There's nothing we can do about it," Hermione admitted with a shrug. "And even if Aberforth can tell we've been rummaging around in Dumbledore's boxes, he won't know what we've taken. Leave it and he can report a robbery if he wants."

Taking care not to be seen leaving The Hog's Head, the foursome left the vicinity of the pub before apparating away from Hogsmeade, hopefully with what they'd came for safely tucked away in Hermione's possession.


	16. Chapter 16

Reports of the mysterious break-in at The Hog's Head was all over the newspapers in the coming days. Even though nothing had been taken as far as Aberforth knew, there was still the mystery of who had broken into the less than desirable pub, and for what reason. And of course there was the mystery of the smashed back door as the Ministry had confirmed that no basic spell could have caused such damage.

As theories abounded around the wizarding world, Harry and Ron had their own theory which they were currently sharing with the Order. As soon as they'd read about the break-in, and the timing of it, they'd decided there and then it was the work of Draco and his friends. They were convinced that three Slytherins were behind the break-in, they just didn't have a clue as to what they'd been up to.

As Harry and Ron shared their theory, most people in the room looked sceptical. Not that Harry and Ron were too surprised by the scepticism they were facing as it was becoming increasingly clear that the members of the Order who had remained part of the group were growing weary of nothing happening. To be honest if things didn't change soon, Harry fully expected the group to dwindle even further as more and more people became convinced that Voldemort was indeed dead and it was time to put the past behind them and move on with their lives.

"And just how did you happen to overhear this conversation between Nott and Zabini, Harry?" Frank asked, his intelligent eyes boring into Harry as though he could read his mind.

"I told you, I was having a drink with a few mates from quidditch," Harry replied. "Zabini and some of his team-mates were in the same bar, and then Nott came in. I just happened to be at the bar buying a round while they were, and I heard them talking."

"What I don't get is if this was them, why they would talk about it so openly," Alice mused. "Granted I don't know the boys, but from everything Neville's said about the Slytherins, most of them are very smart. It seems a bit stupid to discuss such matters in public."

"It wasn't as if they were discussing robbing The Hog's Head though," Harry argued. "They were merely talking about their plans at the weekend with Malfoy."

"Exactly," Remus declared. "They were just having a conversation any two friends could have been having. So why are you so sure they're behind this, Harry? Because from what you've told us, they said nothing incriminating at all."

"It wasn't what they said, it was the way they said it," Harry explained. "You could just tell they were up to something. They're not to be trusted."

"Why? Because they're Slytherins?" Frank asked with a snort. "I've never bought into the whole all Slytherins are evil argument, Harry. If you want us to take your claims seriously, you're going to have to come up with something better than what house they were in at school."

"How about what they did to Ginny last year?" Harry asked. "They set her up, and totally humiliated her."

"I don't want to sound rude here," Alice said tentatively, glancing towards Molly who didn't look at all happy with Harry bringing up the incident with her only daughter. "But what happened with Ginny couldn't have happened if she hadn't done what she'd done. I'm not saying the boys were innocent in the matter, but neither was Ginny."

"She was slipped a lust potion," Ron argued.

"But there was never any proof that that," Alice pointed out. "It's just a theory."

"And as I recall, you were claiming Hermione slipped her the potion," Frank added, a scowl appearing on his face to let everyone know where he stood on the theory of Hermione being behind everything that had happened the previous year.

"We were wrong about that," Harry admitted, and when several people gave him a disbelieving look he quickly explained about their recent meeting with Hermione and their realisation that Draco had been the one behind everything after all. "So you see," he concluded. "That's another reason why Nott and Zabini can't be trusted. They're in Malfoy's pocket, and he and his father were orchestrating the entire thing last year."

"That is quite a turn around," Remus muttered with a frown. "And if your claims are right, it means the Malfoys knew who Hermione was long before graduation."

"Does it really matter who knew what and when they knew it?" Molly asked with an exasperated sigh. "If the Malfoys did know about Hermione, and I'm by no means convinced that they did, then they're never going to admit it. Besides, we don't even have solid proof that most of the events of last year were connected."

"Of course they were connected," Ron snorted. "Everything went wrong for our family, and Harry's. That's too much bad luck to be a coincidence. Someone was out to get us last year, and it wasn't Hermione. It was the Malfoys, and we played right into their hands and drove Hermione towards them."

"You mean you two did," Remus corrected, his gaze flicking between his two former students. "No-one else here believed for one minute that Hermione was anything but a victim in all of this."

"We know we were wrong, and we're big enough to admit it," Harry muttered. "But we're not wrong about Zabini and Nott. Along with Malfoy, they broke into The Hog's Head."

"But why would they do that?" Lily asked softly. "I hardly doubt they're resorting to robbery for the money, and even if they were, The Hog's Head is hardly a likely target."

"And don't forget the door to the pub," Frank pointed out. "How did they cause so much damage?"

"Dark magic," Harry answered with an unconcerned shrug. He didn't care how the former Slytherins had gotten into the pub, all he cared about was proving that they had. "And as for why they did it, I have to admit I don't know."

"The Ministry actually have a theory on that," Kingsley said, speaking up for the first time after being content to listen to what everyone else had to say.

"They do?" Ron asked in surprise. "The story in the paper this morning said the Ministry were still completely baffled as to what had happened and why."

"The Ministry is not in the habit of reporting our every finding to The Daily Prophet," Kingsley remarked.

"So what do you know that the press don't?" Harry asked.

"Aberforth actually couldn't tell us if anything had been taken or not," Kingsley began. "He knew none of his things were missing, and he was also fairly sure his things hadn't even been touched. The intruders seemed to have focused on one room, the room where he was storing his brother's possessions."

"It was about Dumbledore," Harry gasped. "Someone was looking for something belonging to Dumbledore."

"Or something Dumbledore had in his possession when he died," Ron added.

"Like what?" Molly asked her son.

"Something that would prove once and for all that Voldemort is still alive," Harry said, his mind whirling with possibilities. "Maybe someone was looking for a diary Dumbledore might have kept."

"Or maybe they were looking for something belonging to You-Know-Who," Ron suggested.

"See, this is all pointing to Malfoy and his cronies," Harry declared, looking around at the Order and expecting them to be agreeing with him, but all he saw was sceptical looks yet again. "Come on people, open your eyes," he cried in frustration. "This break-in was about Voldemort. Malfoy and his friends were looking for something."

"Say we go along with this theory," Frank said, his tone of voice betraying the fact he didn't actually believe the theory. "We don't know what they were looking for, so there's no way of knowing if they found it or not. Even if you're right, we have no way of proving it."

"I know," Harry muttered with a frown.

"Therefore this meeting is pointless," Frank said as he and Alice got to their feet along with Remus. "All we're doing is throwing around theories, and I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not starting a war with the Malfoys based on theories. Call us if you ever get any solid proof of any of these theories, Harry, but until then Alice and I are done."

"That goes for me too," Remus added, giving Harry a sympathetic smile. "I want to support you Harry, I really do, but I can't help but feel that we've done enough damage to Hermione. The poor girl deserves to have some peace and have a chance of living a normal life. I'm sorry, but I won't be part of anything else that's going to hurt her."

Harry was disappointed, but not entirely surprised, but the departure of the Longbottoms and Remus. Following their lead, other people also began to leave, although they were just leaving the meeting, not leaving the Order. Eventually Harry and Ron were left with only their mothers present, and Kingsley, who'd hung around to talk further.

"Do you believe us, Kingsley?" Harry asked as Molly and Lily left the room.

"I believe that someone broke into The Hog's Head just to look through Dumbledore's belongings," Kingsley replied. "You may or may not be right about who it was, but I do think you're right about the reason. I don't see why anyone would want to look through his stuff if it's not to do with You-Know-Who."

"So what do you think?" Harry questioned the Auror, eager to hear his opinions. "Were they looking for something in particular?"

"I honestly don't know," Kingsley admitted. "Maybe they were just looking for proof either way. And if that is the case, it might not be anything to do with the Malfoys. We could be dealing with an eager journalist wanting a story."

"There's more to it than that, I know there is," Harry insisted. "Isn't part of being a being an Auror following your instincts?"

"It is," Kingsley confirmed with a nod.

"Well my instincts are telling me that this is more than a journalist sniffing around," Harry said. "I know I'm not an Auror, and never will be, but I feel that Malfoy and his friends are involved."

"I can't go around questioning them just because you think they're involved, Harry," Kingsley said. "I need proof before I can even think about talking to them."

"What if Ron and I found some proof?" Harry questioned.

"Harry, we had Aurors, M.L.E officers and the forensic team crawling over The Hog's Head for hours, and we found nothing," Kingsley said. "We couldn't even prove they'd been in the room where Aberforth was storing his brother's effects. Aberforth just thought that some things looked out of place."

"I don't know how we can find proof, but if we do, will you be able to use it?" Harry asked.

"If you find me something other than theories, and do it legally, I'll do what I can," Kingsley vowed as he said his goodbyes and left.

"And how are we going to get proof?" Ron asked Harry once they were alone.

"We'll force a confession out of Malfoy once we've got hold of him," Harry decided. "But in the mean time, I thought we could go and pay Aberforth a visit. Maybe he'll let us look through Dumbledore's things and we might be able to work out what's missing."

"It's worth a try," Ron said with a slight shrug. He didn't really think going to Hogsmeade would do them any good, but at least it was something they could do.

With Harry eager to head to Hogsmeade to see if Aberforth would help them, the pair announced to their mothers that they would be going out and didn't know when they would be back. They then headed off to Hogsmeade for the first time since they'd graduated Hogwarts, and made their way to The Hog's Head. While they were in school they'd never frequented the pub, preferring the much nicer Three Broomsticks, but they still knew where to find the rough pub.

They'd also only met Aberforth following Dumbledore's death, but when they entered the pub he still greeted them warmly. When Harry explained why they were here, Aberforth was only too happy to let them into his personal quarters and into the room where he'd stored his brother's effects.

"I'm sorry I can't be much help, but I honestly have no idea what's in most of the boxes," Aberforth said. "I've been meaning to sort it out, but I haven't gotten around to it. I don't know what good it'll do you, but look at whatever you want."

Returning to the bar, Aberforth left Harry and Ron alone in a room full of boxes that had once belonged to Dumbledore. Not sure what exactly they were looking for, Harry and Ron began to explore the boxes, looking for anything that looked out of place. Sadly two hours later they hadn't found anything that proved that someone had even been through the boxes, let alone found evidence of what they might have taken.

"I don't think this is going anywhere," Ron remarked as he emptied yet another box, this time of things that had come from Dumbledore's office in Hogwarts.

"I think you're right, we're wasting our time," Harry agreed with a sigh as he finished with the box he'd been searching through and turned to Ron. "Let's call this the last box," he said, helping his friend unpack the contents. "Hmm, that's odd," he muttered, plucking a couple of loose quills from the bottom of the box.

"How are quills odd?" Ron asked. "I would have thought Dumbledore had dozens of them."

"He did," Harry replied. "But these are really nice ones. He kept his best quills in a decorated box on his desk, I think these quills should be in that box."

"You mean this box?" Ron asked, pulling out an ornate box with several drawers opened.

"That's it," Harry said with a scowl. "Let me put the quills away. The box must have tipped open in storage."

While Ron searched the rest of the contents of the box, Harry repackaged the quills in the ornate box. However, once he'd placed the last quill into the box and shut the drawer, he found there was still a slim drawer open at the bottom of the box.

"Is there any more quills lying around?" he asked Ron.

"No, you've had them all," Ron answered.

"There's an empty drawer here," Harry informed his friend. "Dumbledore once told me that he always made sure the box was full of quills. He wouldn't have left an empty drawer."

"Maybe you've put two quills in one drawer," Ron suggested.

"I don't think so, but I'll check," Harry said, double checking the drawers to make sure he hadn't double packed any quills. "Now this is odd," he muttered.

"What?" Ron asked, rolling his eyes at how fussy Harry was being over a stupid box of quills.

"This last drawer is thinner than the others," Harry said, pointing out the difference to Ron. "I don't think it's meant to hold a quill at all."

"Then what it is meant to hold?" Ron asked.

"This," Harry replied as he pulled out his wand and placed it in the thin drawer.

"A wand," Ron gasped.

"And since Dumbledore's wand was confiscated by the Ministry, this wasn't where he kept it," Harry said. "This was the storage place of another wand. Voldemort's wand."

"And that was what Malfoy and his friends were looking for," Ron deduced.

"And it looks like they found it," Harry replied. "Now not only is he back, but he's got his wand."

"Do we tell Kingsley?" Ron asked. "This is proof that he really is back."

"It's not proof, it's just more theories," Harry replied with reluctance. "I say we keep quiet until we can get hold of Malfoy. Once we've got him, we can force him to tell us everything. That should be all the proof the Order needs."

"And then what?" Ron asked as they got ready to leave The Hog's Head.

"Then we go to war," Harry answered darkly, before leading the way out of The Hog's Head and back home where they carried on planning the kidnapping of Draco Malfoy, and going over all the information they wanted to get from him.


	17. Chapter 17

Hermione was thrilled to find the wand they'd taken from The Hog's Head was indeed her father's wand. It gave her great pleasure to reunite him with his wand, and to see how much it meant to him that she'd gone to so much trouble to find it. Although to be fair, the break-in had been quite fun and Hermione wasn't worried about any come back as the Ministry seemed clueless as to what had happened at the pub. Not only could Aberforth not tell the Ministry if anything was missing, but no-one could explain the damage to the door as it was far too excessive for any normal spell.

With his wand back in his possession, Hermione watched as Voldemort's confidence grew. He was still nowhere near ready to try any sort of complex magic, but he was now managing the simple spells with ease. He was also physically improving, and was occasionally venturing out of his room and into the gardens of the manor for some much needed fresh air.

On one of Voldemort's slow walks in the gardens, Hermione accompanied her father, and it brightened her heart to see the progress he was making. Hermione could see that as the months passed he would be returning to his old self, and she would finally get the meet the wizard he'd once been. Although to be fair as eager as she was to have him recover, she was also worried about what his return to his old self would mean in the long term.

"This is just what I needed," Voldemort said with a contented sigh as he and Hermione stopped and settled down on a bench nestled beside a fragrant rose bush. "Some fresh air and some quality time with my daughter. I certainly missed this all those years Dumbledore had me held prisoner."

"The fresh air, or spending time with me?" Hermione asked with a small smile.

"The fresh air of course," Voldemort joked. "I actually used to long to even just be able to go outside into the garden," he admitted, his tone turning serious. "I confess, I'd all but given hope of ever breathing the fresh air again. The only thing that kept me going was you, Athena. Knowing my daughter was out there, and being manipulated by Dumbledore, was kept me going through my darkest days. I knew I couldn't give up while you needed me to save you."

"Yet instead, I was the one who saved you," Hermione said. "Albeit inadvertently."

"No matter how you did it, I am forever grateful," Voldemort said, squeezing his daughter's hand. "And you have no idea how proud I am of you for seeing through Dumbledore's lies and manipulations."

"I didn't though," Hermione argued. "He had the wool pulled over my eyes for years. If Draco and I hadn't decided to tell his parents about us, I might never have discovered the truth. It was only the fact that Draco and I were bonded as children that revealed the truth to us. Without that knowledge, I was clueless and I honestly would never have expected such treachery from Dumbledore and the others."

"Sometimes it's hard to see people's true colours," Voldemort remarked. "What matters is that you found out the truth and you acted in a way that made me extremely proud."

"Does it not frustrate you though?" Hermione questioned. "You must have spent years planning on the best way to kill Dumbledore. You spent years waiting for a chance of revenge, but I've stolen it from you."

"You haven't stolen anything from me," Voldemort assured Hermione. "You avenged both me and your mother, and I couldn't be prouder. I won't lie and say that there's a part of me that's not slightly disappointed that I will never get the chance to confront Dumbledore, or that bastard that killed your mother. But I am so proud of what you did, and at the end of the day, they've paid for their part in what happened."

Hermione nodded her head, even as she wondered if that was strictly true. Dumbledore and James had certainly paid for their role in events with their lives, Sirius was in Azkaban and just recently a final decision had been made about Arthur. After a lot of debating, the Ministry had decided to issue him with community service, a lifelong monitor of his magic, and the removal of him from his job. It wasn't exactly the harshest of punishments, but the Ministry had been wary of being too hard on him in case they were accused of punishing Arthur for everyone's part in her kidnapping. After all, he was the only person in the memories from graduation that was in any position to be punished for their crimes.

In a way Hermione could understand their attitude, and she knew that Arthur's life had already been ruined thanks to the werewolf attack. But was that really enough? Lily had suffered losing her husband and Molly had witnessed her family being ruined, and yet again with Arthur losing his job The Burrow was in jeopardy. But the likes of Remus and Frank had emerged unscathed and even though Hermione knew the Ministry were still debating bringing charges against everyone involved with the planning and executing of her kidnapping as a child, she knew the chances of prosecution were dwindling with each week that passed without charge. To be honest she suspected the Ministry would like to draw a line under events, and given the fact the Order might cause a fuss about her father's return if things went any further, Hermione herself wondered if things were better left the way they were.

"Is there anything else bothering you?" Voldemort asked his daughter.

"Not bothering me exactly," Hermione replied. "But I can't help but worry about what's going to happen now you're on the mend."

"I don't understand," Voldemort frowned. "Don't you want me to get better?"

"Of course I do," Hermione said.

"Are you worried I'm going to make you leave the manor?" Voldemort questioned. "Because that won't happen, Athena. I know you're not a child any more. Your place is here with Draco."

"I'm not worried about that either," Hermione replied. "I just can't help but think about the future. I know last time we talked, you said you were content to leave the past behind you, but things are changing."

"What's changed?" Voldemort asked. "I meant what I said, Athena. I have no desire to wage another war. I'm not capable of it any more."

"That might have been true a few weeks ago, but you're improving every day," Hermione argued. "I'm not saying you're going to feel the old desire to fight any time soon, but sooner or later you're going to want more than lounging around the manor."

"But that doesn't mean I'll want to fight," Voldemort argued.

"You can't just pretend that side of your nature doesn't exist," Hermione countered. "If Dumbledore hadn't interfered and ruined your life, you wouldn't want to just sit back and enjoy your retirement. You would want to be in the thick of things."

"If Dumbledore hadn't interfered, you would be taking over the running of things," Voldemort pointed out. "The fact is, his interference did change things, Athena. Neither of us are the people we would have been without Dumbledore's scheme to kidnap you."

"I know," Hermione conceded. She often thought about what she would have been like if she'd been raised by her parents, but since it hadn't happened, she tried not to dwell on it too much.

"But you're still concerned," Voldemort said.

"I am," Hermione admitted with a small nod. "I've only known you a few weeks, but I already love you and I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me, Athena," Voldemort assured her.

"I might if you feel the desire to restart the war," Hermione countered. "I will willingly fight if the Order attack first, but I will not fight for you to rid the world of muggleborns. For the first six years of my time in the wizarding world, I thought I was a muggleborn. I will never fight for someone who wants to drive them out of our world."

"I'd already come to the conclusion that our views on muggleborns are irreconcilable," Voldemort admitted. "I already know you well enough to know that nothing I can say will change your mind on the subject."

"You're right there," Hermione interrupted. "I won't change my stance."

"Which is why I would never do anything to force you to choose between me and your morals," Voldemort said. "My days of fighting against muggleborns are over."

"And what about power?" Hermione asked. "Everyone always said you were power hungry."

"I can't deny that one," Voldemort admitted with a smirk. "But again, I would never do anything you weren't comfortable with, Athena. I promise, if I do decide I want more from life, I will let you know. I won't make one move without talking it through with you."

Hermione wanted Voldemort's words to ease her fears, but all they did was subdue them for the moment. She knew how strong the desire for revenge was, and even though Dumbledore and his Order had been dealt with, she doubted her father's feelings would have vanished. After all, she would have been happy if something bad had befallen Dumbledore or any of the others, but it wouldn't have sated her need for vengeance. She'd needed to deal with those who'd kidnapped her as a baby herself, and only playing a personal part in their downfall had sated her darkness. But her father hadn't had that opportunity. His darkness hadn't been sated, and Hermione couldn't help but worry that one day he would need to re-embrace his dark nature and it would leave her at odds with her father. All she could do was hope that it never came to that, and she was never forced to choose between her father and her beliefs.

 _ **G.O.V.**_

A few days after her chat with Voldemort, Hermione still couldn't quite shed her worries about her father and the future. She'd confided in Draco, and he'd advised her to trust Voldemort to do the right thing. Hermione wanted to believe that Draco was right and that Voldemort would put her above any desire he might have had to reignite his former cause. The problem was, she was still getting to know Voldemort, and she couldn't really predict how he would act. She knew what she wanted him to do, but she didn't know what he would do.

What Hermione really needed was advice from someone who'd known her father for longer than she had. Lucius was her first thought, but he and Draco were busy with a big deal with the family business, so Hermione ended up confiding in Severus while the pair were working on building up the potions company into a decent business.

"I'm with Draco on this one," Severus said. The pair were sitting in Hermione's office, but work had been left to one side as they discussed Voldemort. "Your father will not do anything that might risk losing you."

"But do you really think he can deny his desire for power?" Hermione asked. "And what about his darkness? You don't just walk away from something like that."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience there," Severus remarked. "Are you sure it's your father you're really worried about? Are you sure you're not worried that you're the one likely to give into the dark? After all, you have spent the last twelve months destroying the lives of those who wronged you. It must be hard going back to normal after awakening your dark side."

"Why would I give into the darkness again?" Hermione questioned. "I embraced my dark side for revenge. In case it slipped your notice, Severus, I got my revenge. Dumbledore and James are dead, Sirius is in Azkaban, Arthur's a scarred hermit, Lily is alone and Molly is trying to hold together a fractured family. I think it's safe to say, I've won."

"And you really think it's that easy to just walk away and go back to a normal life?" Severus asked. "You know as well as I do that with a click of your fingers, you'll have all the Death Eaters at your disposal. With them at your back, you can pretty much rule our world."

"I don't want to rule the world," Hermione argued. "No matter what some stupid prophecy says."

"Yet you can't deny how satisfying you've found the last year," Severus retorted. "And what about the recent break-in at The Hog's Head. Draco was telling me about it, and how you took charge. Not to mention the magical connection the pair of you have. You would be unstoppable if you worked together."

"Why are we even talking about this?" Hermione asked in desperation. "We were talking about my father, and his darkness."

"I stand by what I said earlier," Severus replied, just as they were interrupted by an owl tapping on the window. "Trust him, Hermione. He'll do the right thing?"

"Even if you don't think I will?" Hermione questioned as she opened the window and pulled the letter from around the ankle of an owl she recognised as belonging to the Malfoys family business.

"Who's to say embracing your darkness is the wrong thing?" Severus countered. "Don't count anything out, Hermione. You never know what the future might bring."

"I know what tonight will bring," Hermione snorted as she opened the envelope and read the letter her fiancé had sent her.

"Something wrong?" Severus asked.

"Just Draco letting me know he'll be late this evening," Hermione replied. "Apparently he's had an urgent owl from Blaise, and they must meet up for a drink."

"Boys will be boys," Severus chuckled. "Look on the bright side, it means we can work later. I was going to wait until tomorrow, but if you've got time now, we could discuss finding a more reliable supplier. We need to start spreading the word that we're a proper business again, and we won't be messed around."

"Let's focus on that," Hermione said, putting the letter from Draco to one side.

However, she couldn't help sneaking looks at the short note, wondering what it was about it that bothered her so much. She didn't have a problem with Draco spending time with his friends, yet the note had left her aggravated for some reason. What she didn't realise was that it was her connection with Draco kicking in, and all too soon, she would be left wishing she hadn't ignored the first signs that something wasn't right. Soon, something was going to be very wrong, and she would be relying on her strong bond with Draco to save his life.


	18. Chapter 18

When Draco received an unexpected owl from Blaise his first instinct was to write back and inform his best friend that he couldn't make a meeting at short notice. But then on a second reading, he picked up on the fact that Blaise mentioned wanting to talk to him about something important. Knowing his best friend wasn't one for unnecessary dramas, Draco decided to meet Blaise after all just in case he had something important to discuss.

Even though he didn't think Hermione would mind him meeting Blaise, he still sent his fiancée a note letting her know that he would be late home. They may not have had any specific plans, but his father had always told him to treat the witch he ended up marrying with respect and never to take her for granted. And since his parents had a really good marriage, Draco was more than happy to take advice from his father and follow in Lucius's footsteps.

When Hermione didn't respond to his letter, Draco hoped his fiancée wasn't too mad with him. However, Blaise wanted to meet him just after he'd finished work, so he didn't have time to check on Hermione before meeting Blaise. Making a mental note to find some way of making it up to Hermione, Draco headed off to meet Blaise.

Blaise had asked him to meet in the pub he favoured next to his quidditch training ground. Draco had visited the pub a couple of times, and when he walked into the packed bar, he easily spotted his best friend sitting at the bar. Although Blaise wasn't alone, Theo was sitting beside him. At the sight of his other best friend, Draco immediately began to worry about why Blaise had requested the meeting. All he could think about was whether his best friend had news about the break-in they'd recently taken part in alongside Hermione.

"Hey guys," he greeted the pair as he approached them. "What are you drinking?"

"Actually, it'll be better if we go somewhere more private," Blaise said, hurriedly finishing his glass of firewhisky.

"What's going on?" Draco asked, a sinking feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. "Is it about Athena?" he questioned, lowering his voice.

"Yes, it's about Athena," Blaise replied with a nod. "But this isn't the place to talk, mate."

"You should have just come to the office," Draco said.

"Yeah, we didn't think of that," Blaise said with a sheepish shrug. "But you're here now, so we can leave and go somewhere more private."

"This better be important," Draco muttered as his two friends got to their feet and began to lead the way out of the pub. "I don't think Hermione will be happy that I'm going home late."

"It's not like she's your wife," Theo snorted.

"Not yet," Draco replied. "Although hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later. I tell you what, this whole pretending to just be getting to know each other is a bugger."

As he continued to follow after his two friends, Draco failed to notice the shocked look the two wizards in front of him exchanged at his words. In truth, his mind was on Hermione and what Blaise and Theo could want to discuss with him. That was how he just blindly followed his two best friends as they left the pub and headed into a side alley.

"What are we doing?" Draco asked, suddenly looking up and realising that they were in a dark alley.

"Going somewhere private," Blaise answered as he pulled out his wand.

Theo also pulled out his wand and before Draco knew it both of his friends had their wand pointed at him. Staring at the two people in front of him, Draco suddenly realised how stupid he'd been. After everything he'd done at Hermione's side, he should have known not to trust implicitly. He should have known to always be on his guard, even when he thought he was dealing with his two best friends.

"I think he's got it," Theo chuckled.

"Took him long enough," Blaise snorted. "And he's supposed to be smart."

"Smarter than you two idiots," Draco retorted, casually reaching for own wand.

"I don't think so," Blaise remarked with a shake of his head. "Stupefy!"

Even though he'd seen the spell coming, Draco was unable to move quick enough and the spell froze him in place. He was then helpless as Theo, or rather the wizard posing as Theo, plucked his wand from his trouser pocket. Draco watched as he stored it in his own trouser pocket, and he couldn't help but hope it was still there when the fireworks began so that they would regret stealing his wand.

"Can we keep him this way?" the fake Theo asked with a chuckle. "I like it when he can't speak."

"As tempting as it is, we need him to talk," the fake Blaise replied. "And talk you will, Malfoy," he added to Draco, who still managed to look defiant even though he was stunned.

Even though he was unable to move, Draco couldn't help but laugh internally. Technically he should be scared that he'd been stunned and was clearly going to be whisked away somewhere to possibly be tortured. However, he had an ace up his sleeve. He had his bond with Hermione, and he was positive that his fiancée would save him before things got too out of hand. He had faith in Hermione, and he knew that she would be there for him when it mattered.

"Let's get out of here," fake Blaise said. "We're pushing out luck hanging around here. Someone might see us."

Still under the effects of the stunning spell, Draco could put up no resistance as his fake friends grabbed hold of him and he whisked away from the dark alley to some mystery location where he would be held captive until his fiancée could save him.

* * *

 ** _G.O.V._**

* * *

Following her letter from Draco, Hermione had settled in to do some work with Severus. However, she felt as though she was getting nowhere fast so after only a short time she got up to make a coffee, hoping that the drink would help focus her mind. As she made the coffee in the small kitchenette out in the outer office, Severus remained in her office going over the work they were doing.

All of a sudden Severus's work was disturbed by a loud crashing noise. Jumping to his feet, he shot out of the office and into the outer office to find Hermione standing frozen in the kitchenette, a broken cup at her feet and milk dripping from the counter where a bottle had been knocked over.

"Hermione," Severus called. When there was no response from the young witch, Severus carefully grabbed hold of her arm. "Athena," he tried, well aware that she answered to both names.

"Draco," Hermione whispered.

"What's wrong with Draco?" Severus asked. "Is it the bond? Can you tell something?"

"He's not safe," Hermione replied as she suddenly sprang to life and went running back into her office.

By the time Severus followed her, she was already connecting the floo and making a call. Severus could only hear her end of the conversation, but he was guessing she was talking to Blaise, and it was sounding like Draco's best friend hadn't arranged to meet him after all. Finding the note on Hermione's desk, Severus re-read the few sentences Draco had written to his fiancée, which clearly stated he was meeting Blaise after work.

"A trap," he whispered to himself.

"A trap," Hermione confirmed as she finished her floo call. "Blaise didn't arrange to meet Draco. He's going to head to the pub he thinks Harry and Ron would have used for the meeting to see if anyone has seen anything."

"Harry and Ron?" Severus questioned. "Where do they come into things?"

"Who else would trick Draco into meeting with them?" Hermione questioned. "They have him, I just know they have."

"Are you sure someone's got him?" Severus asked, trying to make sure Hermione remained calm and didn't do anything rash.

"No," Hermione admitted. "I was just hit with this feeling that something was wrong. To be honest I think it's been niggling since I got the note from Draco. But it was like something suddenly hit me and I was frozen."

"Maybe Draco was stunned," Severus suggested. He didn't understand exactly how Draco and Hermione's bond worked, but it sounded as though Hermione had felt the spell that had been used on her fiancé.

"Maybe," Hermione agreed with an absent nod of her head. "I don't know what's going on with him to be honest. All I can feel is that he's not safe. Usually I'm vaguely aware of him all the time and I know that he's okay. But this is the first time I've ever felt that there's something not right."

"Can you pinpoint his exact location?" Severus asked.

"No," Hermione replied with a shake of her head. "When we were at Hogwarts, if I focused I could get an idea of what part of the castle he was in. I can do the same at the manor, and I can even tell when he's at the office. But it doesn't work with places I don't know. All I've got is a sense of Draco, and all I know is that there's something not right. He's in trouble, I can feel it."

"In that case, we need to get back to the manor and co-ordinate," Severus said. "Wherever Draco is, and whatever is happening to him, we will find him."

Nodding her head in agreement, Hermione allowed Severus to activate the floo and she followed him home to Malfoy Manor. At the manor, Severus gathered Lucius, Narcissa and Voldemort to inform them of what was going on, while Hermione tried to focus on Draco. She'd never used their bond to actually find her fiancé, but she was confident it would work. But she needed to focus, and that was hard to do as the others were talking and trying to work out what to do.

"Have we spoken to Blaise?" Lucius demanded.

"Hermione spoke to him, and he confirmed that he hadn't arranged to meet Draco," Severus said.

"He'll come here when he's been to the pub," Hermione muttered absent-mindedly.

"He's going for a drink?" Voldemort asked in shock. He'd never actually met Blaise, but he wouldn't have thought he was the type to go out drinking when his best friend was possibly missing.

"He's going to check out the pub he thinks Draco will have been lured to," Severus explained. "He's hoping someone saw something."

"I don't think we need them to have seen something," Lucius said. "We all know who would have taken Draco. But why? What could they hope to achieve by taking Draco now?"

"It's my fault," Hermione whispered as she sunk onto the sofa next to her father.

"This is not your fault, Athena," Voldemort assured her.

"It is," Hermione whispered. "I put Draco in danger."

"You would never do that," Narcissa tutted. "We all know how much you love him."

"I do, and if I'd known what they were going to do, I never would have asked Draco to do it," Hermione said. "I would never have willingly put him in danger."

"What aren't you telling us, Athena?" Lucius asked in a firm tone of voice. He didn't want to push his son's fiancée, especially with Voldemort in the room, but he needed to know what was going on.

"It was that recent meeting with Harry and Ron," Hermione explained. "My original plan had been to accept their apology and find out what they were planning, but then the rumours started about your return," she paused, nodding towards her father. "I couldn't go along with the plan then, so I devised another. I got Draco to basically tell Harry and Ron that he and Lucius had been behind events of the previous year and they'd drove me into his arms, exactly as he'd planned."

"Sounds like a good plan," Voldemort admitted with a chuckle.

"It's certainly cunning," Lucius agreed. "And I bet Draco just loved it."

"He did," Hermione agreed with a nod. "But now it's landed him in trouble. Harry and Ron have clearly taken him because they believe he was behind events of last year. They're going to make him pay for what I did."

"You can't know that," Lucius said gently. "There might be another reason behind whatever is going on."

"It's Harry and Ron, I know it is," Hermione insisted as she got to her feet and began to pace in front of the fire. "They've got Draco, and I need to find him."

"Can you?" Narcissa asked. "Does the bond work that way?"

"I don't know," Hermione admitted. "But I'm damn well going to try. I don't care what it takes, or how long it takes, I'm going to find Draco and when I do, I'm going to kill the bastards that dared touch him. I am done playing nice. It's time for the world to see that you don't mess with Athena Riddle."


	19. Chapter 19

While he was still under the surprisingly strong stunning spell, Draco was transported from the alley behind the pub to a pokey living room, where he was magically restrained to a wooden chair in the centre of the room. The rest of the room contained pretty shabby, basic furniture, but Draco's attention wasn't really on his surroundings. He was more focused on the two wizards who still looked like his two best friends. However, by Draco's reckoning he'd been in their presence for well over half an hour so the polyjuice potion would be wearing off sooner rather than later.

As it was, it was Draco's stunning spell that wore off first. Not that it did him much good as a few attempts to break the restrains proved that he was well and truly stuck to the chair. Although at least now he could talk, not that he was planning on telling his captors anything they might be able to use against Athena. He would rather die than do anything that would get the witch he loved in trouble.

"Just how long do you think you can keep me here?" he asked the two imposters, who had yet to transform back into their normal selves. "And where exactly is here?"

"We can keep you here as long we like," the fake Blaise chuckled. "The cottage is protected by all sorts of spells, one of which blocks any locater spell your family might try to use in order to find you."

"Even without a locator spell, there are other ways to find me," Draco argued. "And what about the neighbours? I can make a hell of a lot of noise you know."

"Scream all you want, the nearest neighbours are miles away," the fake Theo said with a smirk. "In fact I think Hogsmeade is the closest place to here."

"Hogsmeade," Draco muttered as everything began to fall into place. "This is it, isn't it? This is Dumbledore's secret cottage."

"The one he kept Voldemort in," fake Blaise confirmed with a nod. "How does that make you feel Malfoy? Knowing you're trapped in a place that not even your precious Dark Lord could escape from?"

"So you say," Draco retorted. He didn't know if their conversation was being recorded in any way, so he was determined not to say anything that could be used to prove that Hermione's former friends had been right all along. "Personally, I never believe anything until I've seen the proof with my own eyes."

"Don't play innocent with us Malfoy, we know you've seen him," fake Theo spat. "We know that you know that he's back."

"Prove it," Draco taunted with a smirk, well aware that nothing the two idiots in front of him could do would break him and cause him to betray Hermione and her father.

"That's exactly what we intend to do," fake Blaise said, just as his features began to ripple.

Within moments, Draco's handsome best friend had shrunk several inches and had his dark Mediterranean good looks fade away to be replaced by the plain features of Harry Potter, who immediately plucked his glasses from his pockets and placed them on his face. At the same time the fake Theo shot up several inches, his sandy brown hair gave way to garish red and his classic good looks morphed into the sneering face of Ron Weasley.

"Now this is a surprise," he drawled sarcastically once Harry and Ron were back to their normal selves. "I didn't see this coming at all."

"Shut up Malfoy," Ron growled.

"You want me to shut up?" Draco chuckled. "I thought the idea was to make me talk? So what is your master plan, get me to confess everything so you can run to the Ministry and prove what a bad boy I am?"

"This isn't just about you," Harry said. "This is about getting justice for everything that happened last year."

"You mean all the pain and suffering Athena went through?" Draco asked innocently. "Because from where I'm sitting, that is on your heads. You were the ones who cast your best friend aside as though she was nothing but trash."

"We were thinking more along the lines of the deaths and disasters that struck our families," Ron replied. "Deaths and disasters that your precious Athena was responsible for."

"You still think that?" Draco questioned with an arched eyebrow. He'd been convinced that Harry and Ron had bought everything he hinted to them last time they met, but it would seem they still harboured doubts about Hermione.

"We didn't up until half an hour ago," Harry admitted. "I'll admit, you had us fooled Malfoy. After our last meeting we were convinced that it had been you and your father behind everything that had happened last year. We thought we'd misjudged Hermione and had played right into your hands by pushing her away."

"Didn't you?" Draco asked with a slight smirk.

"No, because she was always with you," Ron spat angrily. "It wasn't just you and your scum-bag father behind events of last year, it was her as well. You pretty much admitted it when we were leaving the bar and you said how annoying it was to be pretending to just be getting to know her."

Draco frowned, trying to recall what exactly he'd said, but he couldn't bring the exact wording to mind. Of course he knew that he had meant exactly what Ron was saying. He was frustrated with the charade of pretending to begin a relationship with Hermione just so they could eventually get married in the style his fiancée wished for.

"How do you know that's what I meant?" he asked, thinking on his feet, even though he doubted the two wizards in front of him would believe anything he had to say. "I meant I was sick of playing the nice guy and being sympathetic. Athena and I are meant to be together, she knows it just as well as I do, yet I have to get to know her and pretend to be interested in her broken heart over you two losers, just to get her to trust me. You have no idea how much I just want to shake her and get her to move on and forget her old life where everyone she ever trusted had lied to her."

"We never lied to her," Harry argued. "We didn't know who she was."

"Yet when you found out, you threw here away as though she didn't matter," Draco spat. "But for some reason, she still cares for you. She still wishes things were different."

"It didn't seem that way last time we spoke," Ron snorted. "Or have you conveniently forgotten the way she spoke to us before she walked out."

"Have you forgotten that just prior to that meeting you started spreading rumours about her father being alive?" Draco retorted. "You witnessed Dumbledore commit murder with your own eyes, yet you tried to clear his name by making up wicked lies. Do you have any idea how much you hurt her by spreading your lies? What's next Potter, are you going to claim your father isn't a killer either, and make up some story about her mother still being alive as well?"

"No," Harry whispered, turning away from the blond so he couldn't see how much it hurt him to hear his father described as a killer. "Her mother is dead, and my father did that," he choked out, even though it broke his heart to admit that his father had killed someone.

"But her father is not dead," Ron insisted, taking over as he knew Harry was too upset to speak at the moment. "He can't die. He's using dark magic to keep himself alive. Dumbledore knew this, so he imprisoned him here in this cottage. But then he escaped when Dumbledore died, and we're going to prove that you know this and you know where he is."

"Do you believe this, Potter?" Draco asked, ignoring the redhead and focusing on the so called Boy-Who-Lived. "Because if you believe Dumbledore imprisoned The Dark Lord rather than kill him, then you believe he set your father up to become a murderer. If The Dark Lord couldn't in fact be killed by the killing curse, why didn't he let your father be the one to use it? He could have taken Athena's mother and left her father for your father. That way, he was the killer, not your father. But then again, that's not really Dumbledore's style is it? He likes other people to get their hands dirty, while he comes up smelling of roses. It's time you woke up Potter and realised who the real dangerous wizard was."

"Enough!" Harry roared, whirling back towards Draco with clenched fists and slamming his right hand into the side of the blond's head.

Draco's head flew to one side with the force of the blow, and he had to bite the inside of his mouth to stop himself from moaning in pain. He didn't care what Harry and Ron did to him, he wasn't about to show any weakness in front of them. They could beat him to a bloody pulp, and he still wouldn't give them anything.

"Is that all you've got?" he asked with a smirk, righting his head and ignoring the thumping in his temple where Potter's fist had made contact with him.

"We're only just getting started," Harry muttered darkly. "It's going to be fun breaking you, Malfoy."

"And it's going to be fun denying you the privilege," Draco shot back. "Bring it on, Potter. I can take whatever you throw at me."

"Let's find out," Harry said with a smirk as both he and Ron raised their wands in the direction of their prisoner.

Bracing himself for whatever was going to come his way, Draco tried to focus on Hermione. No matter what happened he wasn't going to give up hope that his fiancée would come through for him. He knew it wasn't going to happen instantaneously, but he was sure that she would come for him. And until then, he would just have to make sure not to break and give Harry and Ron what they wanted, no matter what they did to him or how hard they tried to break him.

* * *

 _ **G.O.V.**_

* * *

Hermione shot to her feet with a cry of distress as pain ricocheted through her body. Her hand automatically went to her head where the pain was worse, but she felt the tremors running through her entire frame.

"What is it?" Lucius asked as everyone in the room turned to look at Hermione.

Hermione had been sitting in the corner of the room quietly, trying to focus on Draco and where he find him, while everyone else tried to come up with an alternative way to find the former Slytherin. Blaise had now joined the group, along with Theo, who'd been alerted to the problem by Lucius, who thought they needed as many reinforcements as they could get. Narcissa had even contacted her sister and Bellatrix and Rodolphus were expected at the manor any moment now.

"He's in pain," Hermione whispered.

"He's strong, he'll survive," Lucius said, pushing his own distress aside in order to remain strong for his wife and future daughter-in-law.

"We need to find him," Hermione said, glancing around the rest of the group. "Do we have any leads?"

"No," Blaise replied with a shake of his head. "I made some subtle enquires at the pub, and the barmaid can remember Theo and I leaving with Draco. According to her, Draco didn't even stay long enough for a drink. No sooner had he arrived, then Theo and I ushered him outside."

"Did she see what happened once they were outside?" Severus asked.

"No, she was still inside serving," Blaise answered. "All we really know is where they took Draco from. And they used Theo and I to make sure he went with them without a fuss. He would have no reason not to trust us."

"Did you let onto anyone at the pub that it wasn't you with Draco?" Voldemort asked.

"No," Blaise replied. "Should I have?"

"No, let's keep our options open," Voldemort mused, his mind already coming up with a plan for when they found Draco and dealt with his kidnappers.

"Sod our options, we need to find Draco," Hermione yelled angrily. "I can't get a solid fix on him, so how do we find him? I'm sure Harry and Ron have him, but I doubt either of them have taken him home."

"Let's focus on Potter and Weasley then," Lucius said. "What sort of places do they have access to?"

"Only their houses from what I remember," Hermione said with a shrug.

"Don't forget Potter will have had an inheritance following his father's death," Severus said. "The Potters weren't exactly paupers."

"Severus is right," Hermione agreed with a nod. In actual fact, Harry had never really mentioned his inheritance after James had died, but now Severus had mentioned it, Hermione could see that it might be important. "It means Harry has money at his disposal. And with money most things are made much easier."

"Such as hiding holes for when you kidnap someone," Theo muttered.

"If Potter's used money to buy somewhere, he'll have left a trail," Lucius said. "I can start looking into that. I've got enough contacts at the Ministry to help me get what we want as quickly as possible."

"You get onto that Lucius," Voldemort said, automatically taking charge even though he wasn't in any state to go running off to save Draco himself. "Blaise, Theo, I want the pair of you to try and find Potter and Weasley. At least if we know they're at home, we know they're not with Draco."

"But they are," Hermione whispered. "I can feel his pain. He's hurting and I can't help him."

"You can help him, Athena," Voldemort insisted. "Your bond is strong. One of the strongest I've ever seen. Go and find yourself somewhere quiet and reach out to Draco. Give him comfort and reassurance that we will find him. If you can sense his pain, he'll be able to sense that you're coming for him. You give him hope, remind him that he's not on his own. It'll give him the strength to carry on, and be strong until we can get to him."

Doing as her father requested, Hermione headed off to their bedroom. Settling down on the large bed she shared with her fiancé, Hermione turned her entire attention to Draco. Pushing aside her fears and worries, she only thought comforting and reassuring thoughts. For a long time she didn't know if anything was happening, but then she felt a pang of warmth from her fiancé. She knew her message was getting through and she could feel the love and trust Draco had for her. He believed she was coming for him, and she wasn't going to let him down.

"Soon," she whispered, continuing to send the positive thoughts to the wizard she loved. "I'll be with you soon, Draco."

And when she was reunited with her fiancé, heaven help his kidnappers as Hermione was no longer in the mood to play the good girl. The irony was that Hermione had been content to let Harry, Ron and everyone else live their lives in peace, well away from her. However, they hadn't been able to do that and for that they would pay the price. Once again the darkness had awakened in Hermione, and this time nothing was going to stop her from crushing her enemies in such a way that there would be no-one who would ever dare challenge her again.

* * *

 **A/N – I just wanted to leave a quick note to let you all know that I'm having trouble with my laptop charger, so if I suddenly vanish and don't post it's because I can't get on the computer. However, a new one is on the way and I will try my best to keep up with the updating in the meantime, and if I do miss an update, I will catch up once my new charger arrives.**


	20. Chapter 20

Hermione remained curled up on the bed for a couple of hours, during which she focused on nurturing her connection with Draco. She could still feel his pain, but as time passed she was able to compartmentalise and focus on sending Draco her support. She could also feel the connection growing stronger, and she began to wonder if she could actually manage to get to wherever Draco was.

Deciding it was worth a try, Hermione made her way from the bedroom and back to the living room. When she entered the living room she found that not only had Bellatrix and Rodolphus arrived, but Blaise and Theo were back. Lucius was also back from the Ministry and he and Narcissa were sitting together with their heads in a book. In fact everyone looked to be studying a book of some sort, with her father being the only exception as he was jotting down notes on some parchment.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"We're working on a way to find Draco," Lucius replied.

"We're going back over everything we know about your wands," Narcissa said. "We thought the connection might lead us to him."

"I guess it could work," Hermione conceded. "But what if it alerts Harry and Ron that we're coming? They'll have taken Draco's wand from him, and if whatever we does causes the wand to react, they're going to be the ones to notice it."

"Athena does make a good point," Voldemort mused. "We need to keep the element of surprise on our side."

"So what, we forget the wand idea?" Blaise asked.

"But we don't have anything else," Narcissa pointed out in a small voice. "It could be our only way of finding Draco. Lucius found nothing at the Ministry, and Blaise and Theo didn't manage to track down Potter and Weasley. So how else are we going to find him?"

"I think I can do it," Hermione said. "I've been focusing on Draco and our bond is getting stronger. I think I might be able to use it to get to where he is, or at least get near to where he is."

"If you're sure, I think we should definitely try it," Lucius said.

"I can't be sure it will work," Hermione said, directing her comment to Narcissa as she didn't want the older witch to get her hopes up and be disappointed if she couldn't deliver and find Draco.

"All you can do is try, Athena," Narcissa said, giving Hermione's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"In that case, we need to talk about what happens once we get to Draco," Voldemort said. "I've got an idea, Athena, and I've ran it past the others. They all agree to help make it work if you're up for it."

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

With a smirk, Voldemort informed his daughter of the plan. He also reassured her that everyone in the room would back them up, and do what they could to make sure their lies were believed. All she needed to do was say yes.

"Well?" Voldemort asked when his daughter didn't respond straight away.

"It could work, but Draco also has to agree," Hermione said. "But I don't want to get bogged down in what happens after we rescue Draco. Let's get to him first. Once we find him we can deal with Harry and Ron and then decide what to do next."

"That's fine, but keep in mind what I've suggested," Voldemort said. "You have to keep one eye on the future. The last thing Draco will want is for you to end up in trouble by saving him."

"Don't worry, the only people who are going to end up in trouble are Harry and Ron," Hermione insisted "Now, who's going to come with me?"

"Just you try and stop any of us," Lucius said as everyone, even Voldemort, got to their feet.

"You're not strong enough," Hermione told her father when she spotted he was also on his feet.

"I've got enough strength for this," Voldemort insisted. "And thanks to you, I've also got some basic magic," he added, brandishing his wand.

"I can't stop you, can I?" Hermione asked with a sigh.

"No more than I can stop you," Voldemort retorted. "I'm not so bad that I'll hold you up, Athena. In fact, I might even prove to be useful."

"Fine, but if you get yourself hurt, I will never forgive you," Hermione warned.

"Don't worry Athena, we'll keep an eye on him," Bellatrix offered.

"I am not a child, Bella," Voldemort snarled in annoyance.

"We promised to serve you, My Lord," Bellatrix said, turning to Voldemort and meeting his blazing red eyes. "And right now, the best way we can serve you is to keep you safe. And of course maybe a bit of fighting by your side like the old days."

"Now that is more like it," Voldemort chuckled.

"So how are we going to do this?" Hermione asked. "If I'm going to try this, I'm going to need complete focus on Draco. That means I can't apparate anyone with me, not without seriously risking our health."

"We can cast a tracking spell on you," Lucius suggested. "You focus on Draco, and we can follow in your wake."

"Okay," Hermione said with a nod. "How long will it take to get the spell ready?"

"An hour tops," Severus said.

"Okay, we meet back here in an hour," Hermione decided. "Everyone needs to be ready to go, and everyone needs to be ready to fight. Draco is our priority, and no matter what happens we must bring him home."

Leaving everyone to prepare for the rescue mission, Hermione returned to the bedroom to get changed. Shedding her work clothes she changed into an all black outfit, consisting of tight trousers, a black sweater and black knee high boots. She then tied her hair up into a high ponytail and slipped into a black leather jacket. With some time to kill, she then turned her attention back to Draco and continued to nurture the bond they shared.

By the time they were ready to go, Hermione's full focus was on Draco. As everyone gathered in the front room, Hermione still wasn't sure she would be able to get to where Draco was, but she was certainly going to try. Draco was the only thing on her mind as Severus and Lucius cast a tracking spell on her, and gave her the nod to leave when she was ready.

"I'm not sure this will work right away," Hermione warned.

"It doesn't matter how long it takes, we'll be right behind you," Narcissa said.

Nodding her head, Hermione clutched her wand tightly in her hand as she closed her eyes and summoned up an image of Draco. Letting the image take shape, Hermione let her instincts overtake her and raising her wand she apparated to some destination unknown. With no firm destination in her mind, Hermione wasn't sure how the apparition process worked, but when she opened her eyes she found she was all in one piece. However, she was standing in the middle of a country lane with no buildings in sight. Or at least no building she could see in the diminishing light of the evening.

"Bugger," she cursed, thinking that she'd messed up and was no nearer to her fiancé.

Closing her eyes, she once again summoned up images of Draco, but before she could leave she heard quiet popping noises all around her and when she opened her eyes, she found all the others had appeared, led to her side by the tracking spell.

"I'm sorry, this clearly isn't where we need to be," she apologised.

"Where exactly are we?" Bellatrix asked.

"It looks kind of familiar," Rodolphus remarked.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Blaise agreed. "It sort of reminds me of the countryside surrounding Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" Hermione's head whipped around at the mention of the school they'd attended, and her eyes met her fathers. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"If you're thinking that I was kept in a cottage somewhere near the school, then yes," Voldemort replied with a nod.

"Do you recognise anything?" Lucius asked The Dark Lord.

"I can't say that I do," Voldemort admitted. "But then again, when I broke free I wasn't really in any state to take in my surroundings."

"So if we're looking for a cottage, which way do we go?" Theo asked. "Because I don't know about anyone else, but I can't see any building whatsoever."

"There's a hill over there," Narcissa said, pointing to a large grassy verge on her right hand side. "It looks high enough to offer a view of the immediate area."

"I'll go," Hermione said quickly, raising his wand and apparating before anyone could argue.

A few seconds later she landed on the top of the large hill. She could see the silhouettes of everyone else on the pathway down below, but she didn't focus on them as she studied her surroundings. On three sides all she could see was rolling hills and stunning countryside, but on the opposite side of the hill to where they'd landed, she finally spotted a small dark, building virtually hidden by the surrounding fields. Not sure if it was the cottage, or just a small abandoned farm building, Hermione cast a spell to point them towards the house before heading back down to inform the others of her discovery. Although she did warn them that she wasn't entirely sure as night was setting in and it was getting harder to see.

"Can you sense Draco?" Narcissa asked as they set off in the direction of the house.

"Yes, I just can't tell is he's nearby or not," Hermione replied.

"Is he still in pain?" Narcissa questioned in a whisper.

"Yes," Hermione answered honestly. "But he can deal with it. He's knows we're on our way, Narcissa."

"I hope we are on our way," Narcissa murmured.

Keeping her focus on Draco, Hermione tried to sense if they were moving any closer to him, but it was just too hard to tell. All she could hope that with each step they took, they were moving closer to Draco and saving him from Harry and Ron's clutches.

They'd been walking for about half an hour when Hermione's senses suddenly went into overdrive and it was as though she could feel Draco's presence beside her. Stopping in the middle of the country lane, she turned to where she felt as though Draco was standing.

"What is it?" Voldemort asked, noticing that his daughter had stopped. They all thought the cottage had to be close by, so Hermione's sudden halting made no sense.

"Draco," Hermione whispered. "It's like he's here with me. And he wants us to go this way," she said, pointing towards a filed which led into a shaded area of trees.

"But the cottage is that way," Lucius said, gesturing down the road they were walking down.

"We have to go this way," Hermione insisted as she started to climb over the fence and into the field.

"Trust the bond," Severus said as Blaise and Theo hopped over the fence after Hermione.

The older set were slightly slower about it, but before long they were all over the fence and into the field. They then followed Hermione into the shaded group of trees, where she led the way as though someone was whispering directions in her ear. After a ten minute hike, she suddenly stopped and turning to the others, a soft smile played around her lips.

"We're here," she said, stepping aside and revealing a gap in the trees that showed the back of a small cottage.

"We've snuck up on them," Bellatrix remarked with an impressed chuckle.

"Thanks to Draco," Hermione said. "I don't know how the hell he did it, but he's guided us to him without putting us in the line of fire. Now we need to plan our line of attack."

"First things first, we need to surround the place," Voldemort said. "I would also wager the house is heavily warded. So before we break through those wards, we need to set up a few of our own. There's no good battling out way into the cottage, only to find Potter and Weasley have snuck away with Draco."

"How long will this take?" Hermione asked impatiently.

"As long as it takes to do things right," Voldemort informed his daughter. "You stay here and try and keep up the contact with Draco. Try and get him to keep Potter and Weasley away from the windows. The last thing we want is them to see us sneaking around. We'll be back when it's time to move."

While all the adults moved off to secure the area, Hermione sat herself down on a fallen tree stump, with Blaise and Theo settling on either side of her, and focused on communicating with Draco. She wasn't sure how much of what she was thinking was getting through to her boyfriend, but she just kept repeating the same handful of thoughts in her mind while also keeping an image of Draco in her mind's eye. A couple of times she thought she felt Draco's thoughts in her mind, telling her he was playing his part and doing as they wanted, but she wasn't sure if it was just wishful thinking on her part. After all, they didn't even know for sure if Draco was in the building they were currently staking out, or if she'd made a massive mistake and her fiancé was in mortal danger with no rescue imminent.

"We're ready," Lucius's voice suddenly called, breaking Hermione from her reverie.

"Is Draco in there?" Hermione asked.

"We can't know for sure because of the protective spells around the cottage," Lucius admitted. "But Rodolphus managed to detect three body heat signatures via a spell he knows. So we do know there's three people inside."

"Let's get in and see who it is," Hermione announced as she sprung to her feet. "I want to go in the front."

"I rather suspected you would," Lucius said with a chuckle. "You're coming back around the front with me and Severus. Theo you're to stay here and move in from the back with Rodolphus. Blaise, you go to the right of the building and go in with Narcissa. And Blaise, you keep my wife safe."

"Yes sir," Blaise said with a nod as he said his goodbyes and set off in the direction Lucius had pointed him in.

"Where's my father?" Hermione asked as Rodolphus appeared to take his place alongside Theo.

"He's coming in from the left with Bellatrix," Lucius replied. "Are you ready?"

"I am," Hermione replied with a firm nod of her head. "Let's get into place."

Without another word, Hermione and Lucius began making their way around to the front of the building where Severus was waiting for them. From there they would then launch the attack which would save Draco and bring about the end of Hermione's two oldest friends.


	21. Chapter 21

Draco was surprised by the power and skill Harry and Ron employed in hurting him. They alternated between using magic and using their fists and feet to physically attack him. When they first started their assault, it was clear the intention was merely to hurt him, but after a while, they started to ask him questions. It was clear to Draco that they didn't think much of him, and they thought he would cave and tell them anything they wanted to know after a small bit of pain.

But Draco didn't break, he remained silent and refused to answer any of their questions. What he couldn't keep silent about was the pain they were causing, and try as he might, he eventually broke and revealed the pain he was in. Although his moans of pain only seemed to spur the two former Gryffindors on, and Draco became aware that they weren't going to stop. Even if he didn't tell them what they wanted to know, they weren't going to back down. He could see it in their eyes that they fully intended to kill him when they'd gotten what they wanted from him, and even if they didn't get what they wanted, he was still going to end up dead.

Realising that his life was actually in danger did worry Draco slightly, but he had every faith that his fiancée would save him. Especially as over the course of his first couple of hours in captivity he felt Hermione's presence grow in his head. He was always aware of Hermione due to their bond, but for the first time ever, it was as though he could almost hear her own thoughts. It was almost as if he could hear her voice in his head telling him that they were coming and that she would save him.

The connection proved a lifesaver as Harry and Ron continued with their torture. As much as he was hurting, he kept focusing on Hermione and the love and support she was sending his way. Although finally Harry and Ron decided to take a break, and Draco was able to fully focus on his bond with Hermione. For a while it felt as though they were actually with each other, and he would have sworn that she was curled up on their bed.

As the connection grew stronger, Draco felt Hermione make the decision to try and get to him. While he had no idea if it would work, he was hopeful and did everything he could to nurture the connection and keep it going strong. He was even pretty oblivious as Harry and Ron started on him once again, and the pain they were causing him was just in the background as he focused his energy on Hermione, and the rescue that was hopefully coming his way.

However, he couldn't ignore Harry and Ron completely and they regained a bit more of attention when Ron sent his foot into Draco's chest and he felt a couple of his ribs snap. The pain of the broken ribs was the focus of Draco's attention for several minutes, and when he did refocus on Hermione it almost felt as though she was closer. Hoping that he was right, and his fiancée was nearby, Draco shut his eyes to rid himself of the laughing faces of Harry and Ron, and he drowned out their crowing about how they were breaking him. Instead he focused on Hermione, almost willing her to his side.

With each passing minute Draco could almost feel Hermione coming closer. The closer she got, the more he tuned out the pain he was in and imagined himself at her side. In his mind's eye he could see himself on country lane with Hermione, but he could sense trouble and knew if she carried on the way she was, she would be visible from the cottage well before she could do anything to save him. Even though Draco had no idea of his surroundings, and had never even seen outside of the cottage, he let his instincts take over and reach out to Hermione, guiding her in a safer direction. When he felt her following his directions he let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you giving up, Malfoy?" Harry sneered when he heard the sigh, which he was taking as one of defeat.

"Never," Draco spat, opening his eyes and glaring at his captors. "It'll take more than you two losers to break me."

"We don't seem to be doing too bad a job," Ron chuckled. "I'm fairly sure you've cracked a few ribs and your wrist in pretty well smashed."

Draco was aware of the broken ribs, but until Ron mentioned it he'd never noticed his wrist. But now he could see that at some point, likely while he was focused on Hermione, someone had stood on his left wrist, which was now free of the whatever magic had been binding him, and shattered the bones. Now he was aware of it the pain was rather intense and he cursed Ron for making him aware of even more pain.

Luckily his attention to his pain was short lived as he clearly heard Hermione's voice in his head asking him to distract Harry and Ron. For a moment the voice was so clear, Draco thought his fiancée had used a spell and her voice was audible in the room. But of course if that was the case, she wouldn't be asking him to distract Harry and Ron and keep them away from the windows. Obviously she was so close and the bond was now so strong that she could pass messages onto him. Firing one back, promising to do his best, Draco painfully moved himself into a sitting position. He was still half bound to the chair, which now had two broken legs and a large crack in the third, so sitting up wasn't easy, but it was better than lying on the floor.

"What do you think this will achieve?" he asked, genuinely curious as to what the pair's entire plan was. "Even if I break, and tell you what you want to hear, you don't intend to let me live to repeat it."

"We don't need you to repeat it," Harry said with a smug smirk. "Once you've admitted what we already know, we can use our memories to show everyone the truth."

"What? That you tortured and killed someone just to get them to say what you wanted?" Draco snorted. "I hate to break it to you two numbskulls, but these memories will not prove anything. I could say anything you want, admit anything you want, and it can be argued it was under duress. Who wouldn't crack and tell you what you wanted when you were torturing them?"

"Okay, so maybe not everyone will believe it," Harry conceded with a slight shrug. "But some people will. It will be enough to get people to re-join the Order and fight."

"And just how are you two going to fight when you're stuck in Azkaban on murder charges?" Draco questioned. "If you show anyone these memories, you'll be arrested so quick your feet won't touch the ground. And I can promise you that if you do kill me, my parents and Athena will ensure that justice is done. And by justice, I mean an eye for an eye. I doubt you're going to live much longer if I'm being honest."

"So you admit it?" Harry asked eagerly, all but ignoring most of what the blond had said. "Hermione is on your side. She would kill for you."

"We're bonded, Potter," Draco drawled with a roll of his eyes, which he immediately wished he hadn't done as it hurt his head. "It doesn't matter who she is and what she's done, killing me kills a part of her. Even if she hated me, she would still feel my loss. And people who lose someone, especially at the hands of others, seek revenge."

"That sounds like a confession to me," Harry said, turning to Ron. "What do you think?"

"I think he's finally starting to talk," Ron replied with a malicious smirk, aimed at Draco. "Let's make him talk some more."

Draco braced himself for whatever Harry and Ron were going to throw at him, but before either one of them could cast a spell in his direction he clearly heard Hermione's voice in his head telling him that they were outside, but would need his help to enter the cottage. Letting his eyes drift to where Ron had his wand stuffed down the front of his trousers, Draco smirked and sent a suggestion back to his fiancée.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked with a confused frown.

"You'll see," Draco replied as in his head Hermione counted down from three. "Bombarda!" he cried, knowing he was in perfect unison with Hermione.

The effects of the dual spell was instantaneous. The entire cottage shook as the front window and part of the wall blasted into the front room. Draco could also hear shattering windows and falling bricks from around the building and he suspected some were blowing out as well as in. But the most delicious part was the fact Ron had been blown across the room and sent crashing into a wall as he'd had Draco's wand in his possession.

The second the spell had hit, Ron had also let out a blood-curdling scream and as Draco located him among the rubble, he could see exactly what had happened to the redhead. Not only had the force of the spell thrown him across the room, but the explosion emanating from Draco's wand had ripped into Ron himself. Blood was gushing from a gaping wound in his thigh, and if Draco wasn't mistaken his leg was actually only hanging on via a few tendons.

"Nasty," he muttered as figures ran into the room from the growing darkness outside.

He could hear spells and curses being thrown around, and from the sounds of things, Harry was still okay and unaffected by the arrival of Draco's rescuers. But Draco's focus was on Hermione, who had rushed straight to his side the second she'd entered the house via the blasted front door.

"My god," Hermione gasped when she took in the bloodied and bruised sight of her fiancée.

"It looks worse than it is," Draco said, even though he wasn't sure that was the case. Now rescue was here and he wasn't focusing on the bond with his fiancée, he was in considerable pain and could barely think straight.

"I doubt that," Hermione muttered as she undid the magic keeping him bound to the half broken chair. "Where's your wand?"

"Weasley has it," Draco said, nodding to where Ron was still lying howling in pain, and being ignored by everyone else.

"Blaise, Theo," Hermione called, searching for Draco's two best friends. "See if you can get Draco to his feet," she ordered when the pair appeared.

Leaving Blaise and Theo to help Draco, Hermione walked over to where Ron was lying and casually expected the damage. Draco's earlier assessment had indeed been right, and Ron had very nearly lost his leg. Judging from the amount of blood he'd already lost, Hermione suspected he was going to die if nothing was done to help him soon. Not that she planned on lifting a finger to help him, not after what he'd done to Draco.

"Ron, Ron, Ron," Hermione tutted as she crouched down in front of her old friend. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's not wise to keep your wand in your trouser pocket?" she asked as she located Draco's wand in the mess of Ron's thigh and gingerly plucked it from a pool of his blood.

"Help me," Ron croaked, in between his gut wrenching cries of pain.

"Why?" Hermione asked. "Why should I help you when you abandoned me? I was your friend for years, Ron. You claimed to love me. Yet you found out that people you trusted, including your parents, killed my parents and kidnapped me, and rather than blame them, you turned on me. You drove me to this, Ron, you and Harry. All you had to do was leave me alone to live my life in peace."

"We will," Ron promised. "Please Hermione, just help me."

"It's too late for that," Hermione said with a shake of her head as she rose to her feet and used magic to clean Draco's wand. "Have you got Harry yet?" she called as she headed back over to Draco and handed him his wand.

"He's here," Lucius said as he and Severus dragged a bedraggled Harry into the front room. His glasses were missing, his left arm was hanging at an unnatural angle and he had a deep gash above his eye that was bleeding profusely.

"What happened?" Hermione asked as Lucius and Severus threw him down beside Ron, causing the redhead to howl in pain when Harry landed on his almost severed leg.

"He tried to fight," Severus snorted.

"Idiot," Hermione spat as Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Narcissa and Voldemort entered the room.

"Draco," Narcissa cried, running over to her son. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," Draco replied with a nod, even though his attention was on Hermione's father and his aunt and uncle. He wasn't really surprised to see everyone else, but it was a surprise to find Voldemort, Bellatrix and Rodolphus had been part of his rescue party. After all, Voldemort was still recovering and Bellatrix and Rodolphus weren't even in the country last he'd heard.

"Don't look so surprised Draco, you have a lot of people who care about you," Hermione laughed.

"Did you just read my mind?" Draco asked with a slight frown. As pleased as he was that the bond with Hermione had been strong enough to save him, he wasn't sure he wanted his fiancée in his head all the time.

"It was written all over your face," Lucius chuckled. "We could all see your surprise to see The Dark Lord, Bella and Rodolphus."

"I just didn't expect as many people to ride to my rescue," Draco admitted.

"We're not quite done yet," Hermione said, turning back to Harry and Ron only to find Harry was trying to get to his feet. "Stupefy," she called, sending Harry sprawling back to the floor. "I would stay down if I were you, Harry. I'll only put you back down when you tried to get up."

"We were right," Harry slurred and Hermione suspected that someone had hit him in the mouth and cracked a few of his teeth.

"Yes, you were right," Hermione confirmed with a nod of her head. "I actually found out who I was and what happened to me last summer. I swore revenge and I was behind everything that happened."

"You killed my Dad," Harry accused.

"Your father killed my mother," Hermione hissed. "And no, I didn't actually kill James. I just drugged everyone and let his killer into the house."

"And it was a pleasure to end his worthless life," Lucius gloated, smirking at Harry.

"You bastard, I'll get you Malfoy," Harry vowed.

"You won't get the chance, Harry," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "This ends here. I could have killed you both last year, but I chose not to. I let you live because of our friendship. I would have been happy if we could have gone our separate ways and never saw each other again. But you just couldn't let that happen, could you?"

"Not when he was back," Harry spat, his eyes flicking towards Voldemort. "Everyone thinks Dumbledore killed him. He's classed as a killer while his victim is walking around as though nothing happened. I wasn't going to let that rest. I had to clear his name and warn the world of the danger."

"What danger?" Voldemort asked with a laugh. "I'm an old man, Potter. I was kept prisoner for so long that all my old ambitions died long ago. All I want now is a relationship with my daughter."

"The only danger here is you two," Hermione concluded. "Oh yes, and me," she added with a slow, deadly smirk. "I think it's time I showed the world that you don't mess with Athena Riddle."

"What's the plan?" Draco asked as Hermione moved back to stand beside him, replacing Blaise at his right hand side, while everyone else gathered at their backs.

"We were going to kill them outright, and pretend that I was the one who had been kidnapped and that you'd saved me," Hermione explained. "But that might result in you being arrested, and I won't take that chance."

"Plus no-one would believe you'd been kidnapped and I'd sustained these injuries rescuing you," Draco added.

"Actually, we have a spell that can transfer your injuries to Hermione," Lucius said.

"No way," Draco hissed. "I am not inflicting this pain on her. We do this another way."

"We do," Hermione said with a nod. "First we need to wipe Harry and Ron's memories, just in case they survive the cave-in."

"Cave-in?" Narcissa questioned nervously.

"Draco and I are going to bring this cottage down around their ears," Hermione announced. "It should finish Harry and Ron off, and that way we can tell the authorities as close to the truth as possible. Draco was kidnapped, we mounted a rescue and in fighting for our freedom we brought the house down."

"That will mean explaining about your wands," Severus pointed out. "It's the only way to explain so much damage."

"We play ignorant, and say we don't know what happened," Hermione said. "I'm sure the Ministry can look into things and find Ollivander can help them explain the phenomenon."

"Are you sure about this? Voldemort asked his daughter.

"Positive," Hermione replied with a nod. "There's already so many lies in my life, I'd rather not add more than I have to. Let's finish this, then you can go home and we can call the authorities."

"And what if they arrest you both?" Bellatrix asked.

"Then we deal with that when it happens," Hermione answered. "I'm sure both Draco and I are good enough to mask part of what happened here tonight. And the bits we can recall, will back up our story perfectly."

"Let's hope this works," Lucius muttered as he and Severus stepped forward to obliviate Harry and Ron, just in case they survived.

By the time they'd finished, Ron had passed out through the pain and Hermione doubted he would ever wake again. Harry was still conscious, but once Lucius had removed his memories, he slammed his head roughly against the wall, knocking Harry out.

"Now all of you need to get out," Hermione said. "Get well away from the cottage. I don't want any of you hurt."

While the others got away from the danger zone of the cottage, Hermione wrapped her arm around Draco and practically kept him on his feet.

"Do you think they're clear yet?" Draco asked through clenched teeth. "I'm not sure I can stand for much longer."

"Do you think you can do this?" Hermione checked. "If we can't protect ourselves from this, we could die alongside Harry and Ron."

"Never going to happen," Draco promised. "I will protect you even if it is the last thing I do."

"It won't be the last thing you do," Hermione insisted. "We will get out of this, Draco. Just you wait and see."

Giving Draco a passionate kiss, Hermione checked everyone was clear before she and Draco erected a large protective shield around themselves. Then in unison they began the process of caving the cottage in around them and burying Harry and Ron in the rubble, all the time hoping that their shield was strong enough to protect them and keep them from losing their lives in the cottage collapse.


	22. Chapter 22

It was torture for those watching watching from the sidelines as the cottage Draco and Hermione were still inside began to tear apart before their eyes. Narcissa was crying softly as Lucius held her in his arms, and both Severus and Rodolphus were on alert in case Voldemort tried to rush back to save his daughter. The destruction of the cottage seemed to last forever, and the group watching were acutely aware of every painful, heart-stopping moment. As much as they all longed to offer their assistance to the young couple still inside the cottage, they all understood the importance of keeping a safe distance.

However, the second it became clear that the destruction was over, and it was just residue dust floating in the air, they all rushed forward to make sure Draco and Hermione had emerged unscathed. Scrambling over bricks and wooden timbers they tried to make their way to where they thought Hermione and Draco should have been. However, it was impossible to get a proper sense of where they were going as the cottage had literally been turned to rubble thanks to the powerful dual magic of Hermione and Draco.

"Athena," Voldemort hollered when they could see no sign of either teenager.

"Draco," Lucius called, joining his voice to The Dark Lord's.

Soon everyone was calling out for the missing couple. For the longest five minutes of their lives, the group searched the rubble and saw and heard nothing. But then Bellatrix heard a noise coming from under a large mound of rubble.

"Ssh," she hissed. "I think I hear something."

"Athena?" Voldemort called again after a moment silence revealed that there was scraping noises coming from below them.

"We're here," Hermione's muffled voice cried.

"We're coming, Athena, just you hold on," Voldemort called back to his daughter.

Thanks to team work and magic, a hole had soon appeared where Draco and Hermione had been buried. When the pair came into sight it was clear that they'd both been hurt by the falling rubble, but thankfully their protective shield had kept them safe from the further damage and more importantly, it had kept them alive.

"Are you both okay?" Blaise asked, poking his head into the hole as it wasn't large enough for anyone to fit through yet.

"We're both having the time of our lives down here," Draco grouched, wincing slightly due to the severe pain he was in.

"Draco's fine," Blaise informed the others when he pulled his head out of the hole. "Or at least he's still complaining."

"And Athena?" Voldemort demanded.

"I'm fine," Hermione called, hearing her father's question. "It's just cuts and bruises on me, but Draco needs help. He was already in pain, and having a cottage falling on top of him hasn't helped matters."

"The pair of you will be out of there in no time," Lucius vowed as they got back to working on enlarging the hole.

At Hermione's insistence, Draco was helped from the hole first. Although between his torture at the hands of Harry and Ron and having a building fall on him, he wasn't in the best state and could no longer stand up by himself. With Blaise and Theo's help, Narcissa managed to get her son away from the ruined cottage, to where they could lie him on the grass and check his injuries. Once Draco was free, Hermione soon followed and despite a nasty blow to her head, which was causing blood to drip down her face, she rushed to her fiancé's side.

"How are you doing?" she asked Draco.

"I feel like I've had a house dropped on my head," Draco replied.

"I'm sorry the shield didn't protect us more," Hermione whispered. "I thought we could produce a one stronger than that."

"I think that was on me," Draco said with a half-wince, half-smile. "I'm not sure my focus was the best."

"It doesn't matter, you both survived and that's the important thing," Lucius said.

"And since we know you're both alright, we should be moving along with the plans," Bellatrix prompted. "Rodolphus and I will go back to the manor with The Dark Lord."

"I promise we will be back as soon as we can," Lucius vowed to Voldemort, who seemed reluctant to leave.

"You need to go father," Hermione said as she turned her attention to her father. "Everything will be just fine here."

"You know the plan?" Voldemort checked.

"We know the plan," Hermione confirmed with a nod of her head. "We stick as close to the truth as possible. And if everything goes wrong and we end up in trouble, we'll come up with a fresh plan."

"Let's hope nothing goes wrong," Voldemort said, giving his daughter a kiss on the cheek.

Even though it was clear he didn't want to, he then allowed Bellatrix and Rodolphus to accompany him back to the manor, where they would wait for news. Once the trio had gone and there was no sign that anyone else had ever been with them, Lucius sent Severus off to fetch the healers for Draco and to alert the Ministry about what had happened.

Thankfully the wait was only a short one and Severus arrived back with two Healers and two medi-wizards in tow. He'd also alerted the Ministry and expected Aurors along at any second. In fact the Healers had only just started to examine Draco and Hermione when there were twins cracks of apparition and Kingsley and Tonks materialised out of thin air.

"What happened?" Tonks asked as Kingsley surveyed their surroundings with a thoughtful look on his face.

"My son was kidnapped and tortured," Lucius answered. "We came to rescue him and a fight broke out with his captors."

"Some fight," Tonks muttered, turning her attention to the collapsed building.

"That was rather unexpected," Lucius said with a slight shrug.

"Is this the cottage where Dumbledore claimed to have been keeping You-Know-Who?" Kingsley asked.

"I wouldn't know," Lucius lied. "I never saw the cottage, and I was under the impression the Ministry had decided that it had been used for no such reason."

"Actually, we decided it couldn't be determined either way," Kingsley corrected. "But I'm sure this is the place. I'm sure we're in Scotland."

"Yes, we're in Scotland," Lucius said. "Just a few miles from Hogwarts I do believe."

"Yet, you don't know anything about the cottage?" Kingsley asked, his scepticism clear for Lucius to hear.

"No," Lucius answered. "All I know is the locator spell to find my son led us here."

"Locator spell?" Tonks questioned. "What locator spell?"

"The one we used to find Draco once we realised he was missing," Lucius replied.

"I think it's time we went back to the beginning," Kingsley said as he removed a notebook from his robes.

"As you can see my son is no fit state to talk to you right now," Lucius said, gesturing to where Draco was being moved to a stretcher to transport him to St Mungo's. "And Athena isn't faring much better," he added. "Perhaps I could give you a run down of what happened and you can talk to Draco and Athena once they've been treated by the healers."

"That sounds good," Tonks said with a nod as she glanced over to Hermione, a look of concern on her face. "How is she?" she asked Lucius.

"Today, or before today?" Lucius asked.

"Both," Tonks replied.

"Before today she was coping," Lucius replied. "It hasn't been easy for her, discovering the truth and then having her friends turn on her because of who her parents are. She puts on a brave face, but she's been deeply hurt by recent events. And as for today, I think she's battered and bruised physically, but totally broken emotionally."

"I can't believe it's all ended up like this," Tonks whispered. "I still can't believe Harry and Ron reacted the way they did. I haven't known Hermione for half as long as they have, and I know that she's not evil. She's a lovely girl."

"It's a shame Potter and Weasley didn't feel the same," Lucius sneered. "Maybe then we wouldn't be standing here, and I wouldn't be wondering how badly hurt my son is."

"Are you saying Harry and Ron were involved in what happened here tonight?" Kingsley asked.

"I am," Lucius confirmed with a nod.

"I think it's time you told us what happened, Lucius," Kingsley ordered as he prepared to use magic to take some notes.

"This afternoon, Athena received a note from Draco informing her he was having a drink with his friends," Lucius began. "She thought nothing of it and worked late with Severus. There wasn't even any alarm when she came home and Severus joined us for dinner. But then Blaise arrived to see Draco, and that's when we realised something was wrong. We called Theo to find that he also wasn't with Draco."

"Couldn't he have been with another friend?" Kingsley asked.

"His note clearly said he was meeting Blaise," Lucius replied. "There would be no need for him to lie. Once we realised he wasn't with Blaise, or even Theo, we started to get worried. Blaise went to his local, where he meet Draco if they had been going for a drink, and asked around a bit. The barmaid can remember seeing Draco leave with Blaise and Theo, or at least with two people who looked like him."

"Polyjuice Potion," Tonks muttered.

"That was our thought," Lucius agreed with a nod. "Once we came to that conclusion, we thought Draco was in danger. We did think about contacting the Ministry, but I wasn't sure how seriously you would take the matter since Draco is an adult and we had no proof that anything untoward had happened to him."

Kingsley and Tonks shared a brief look, that informed Lucius that he was right in the fact the Ministry wouldn't have taken their concerns seriously. Not that it had ever been an option to contact them, but the Ministry didn't need to know that.

"So what did you do?" Kingsley asked.

"We tried a locator spell on Draco," Lucius replied. He wasn't worried about the Aurors discovering that a locator spell wouldn't have worked as the cottage had been totally destroyed, which meant the wards Harry and Ron had erected around it had been destroyed as well. "To be honest we didn't think it would work as it was becoming increasingly clear that he'd been kidnapped, and what sort of fools don't protect against locating spells?"

"But the spell did work," Tonks pointed out.

"Luckily for us, it did," Lucius confirmed with a nod. "The spell placed Draco in the Scottish Highlands, just a few miles from Hogwarts. Once we had a location, we all came to rescue him."

"And what happened when you got here?" Kingsley asked.

"We used force to enter the cottage," Lucius admitted. "And once inside, a fight broke out between us and Draco's captors."

"Who were?" Tonks asked, even though by this point she knew both she and Kingsley had a sneaking suspicion where the story was going.

"Potter and Weasley," Lucius replied, confirming the two Aurors theory. "They'd taken Draco because they thought they could force him to admit that Athena had been behind events of the last year."

"No, that's not right," Tonks said with a shake of her head. "The boys had given up on that idea. They'd finally realised they were wrong."

"That's what they may have told you, but it wasn't what they believed," Lucius replied. "They still thought Athena was the devil incarnate, and they tortured my son to try and get him to admit it."

"Did it work?" Kingsley asked.

"No, because it is not true," Lucius retorted in a sharp voice, glaring at the Auror. "That poor girl is a victim in all of this. When Potter and Weasley couldn't prove their outrageous lies against her, they resorted to kidnapping and torturing my son in the hopes that he would give them what they wanted to save himself."

"Where are Harry and Ron?" Tonks asked. "And what exactly happened to the cottage?"

"That was rather unusual," Lucius replied with a low chuckle. "As I said, a fight broke out and we subdued the pair. However, they weren't going quietly and they tried to attack Athena. Both she and Draco reacted at the same time and it was as though their spells mingled together to produce a more powerful spell. The result was the cottage collapsing. I got my wife clear, and Blaise and Theo got clear, but Draco and Athena were trapped inside along with Potter and Weasley. We dug Draco and Athena out of the rubble just before you arrived."

"And Harry and Ron?" Tonks asked, looking towards the house and wondering if the pair were still alive.

"They kidnapped and tortured my son, I wasn't about to rescue them," Lucius snarled. "If they're dead or alive in there, I don't know, and quite frankly I don't care. You can find them if you want, but I what I want is to get to the hospital to check on Draco."

"We will need to talk to you again," Kingsley said. "And we will need statements from everyone involved tonight."

"I'm sure we'll still be at the hospital if you need us," Lucius replied. "Is there anything else before I go?"

"Just one thing," Kingsley said. "Is it true? Is You-Know-Who back?"

"If he is, I haven't seen or heard from him," Lucius replied, the lie falling from his lips naturally. "Quite frankly, I think it was just a latch ditch effort on Dumbledore's part to deflect some of his guilt. I don't think he could bear people seeing him for the monster he truly was."

Leaving the two Aurors to finish up at the cottage, Lucius followed his family to St Mungo's. Of course he knew the questions were far from over, and he knew they would all have a lot more explaining to do. But for now, all he wanted to do was check on Draco and ensure that his son wasn't too badly hurt following his ordeal.


	23. Chapter 23

"What do you think?" Kingsley asked softly as he and Tonks were left alone with the collapsed cottage and the task of finding out if Harry and Ron were indeed trapped inside.

"I think this entire thing is a mess," Tonks said sadly. "I don't know whether I want to find Harry and Ron under that rubble, or not."

"I guess if we don't find them, it means Lucius was lying," Kingsley remarked.

"Why would he lie about something that would be easily discovered?" Tonks questioned. "If Harry and Ron aren't in there, it won't take us long to track them down. And if they're unhurt and have an alibi, everything Lucius told us will be called into question. I hate to say it, but I don't think he was lying."

"Nor do I," Kingsley admitted. "But I am struggling to understand why Harry and Ron took Draco after they'd sworn to us that they'd changed their minds about Hermione."

"It's scary that they haven't been able to let go," Tonks agreed with a shudder.

"Tonks, are you okay?" Kingsley asked in concern.

"I'm just thinking about their tenacity," Tonks replied quietly. "After the truth came out about Hermione, Remus told me that before graduation Harry and Ron had decided that I was Athena. I'm just wondering what would have happened if the truth hadn't been revealed. Would they have remained convinced that I was Athena, and would they had done something like this to me, or even to Remus?"

"You think they would have acted without proof?" Kingsley questioned.

"Isn't that exactly what they have done?" Tonks retorted. "No-one can prove Hermione had anything to do with events of last year. But yet Harry and Ron were so convinced that they kidnapped Draco and tortured him to get him to say what they wanted."

"Let's not condemn them without proof," Kingsley said gently. "I think we've been standing talking for long enough. If they are still alive, they're going to be running out of air. We need to find them, and we need to find them quickly."

"More hands would be helpful," Tonks said.

"You sort that, and I'll see if I can use magic to locate them," Kingsley said as he strode towards the mass of rubble which had once been a small cottage.

Ten minutes later, back-up arrived from the Ministry and Kingsley had located Harry and Ron's position under the rubble. Working as a team, the two Aurors and their back-up carefully cleared the area to reveal a bloody and bruised Harry and Ron. Ron was the first one they could reach, and even before Kingsley confirmed it, Tonks could tell he was dead. He had that deathly pallor that only corpses had.

"And Harry?" Tonks asked as Kingsley tried to get to Harry without disturbing Ron. Since he was dead, they couldn't remove him from the rubble until all official procedures had been followed.

"Gone," Kingsley whispered with a regretful shake of his head.

"This will kill Lily," Tonks said quietly. "First James and now Harry."

"I don't think Molly will take it much better," Kingsley said with a sigh. "And the saddest thing is, they brought this all on themselves. Providing Lucius was telling the truth."

"Everything he said is being proved true so far," Tonks pointed out.

"We need to speak to Draco and Hermione," Kingsley said. "And everyone else involved in what happened here tonight. I want as much information as possible before we break the news to Lily and the Weasleys."

"In that case we might be best splitting up," Tonks suggested. "I can go to St Mungo's to see who I can speak to, and you can take charge here."

Agreeing that Tonks's idea was the best, Kingsley took charge of the crime scene and left his young partner to head to St Mungo's to see whose statement she could get. When Tonks arrived at St Mungo's she found that both Draco and Hermione were both in with the healers, but she did get to talk to Narcissa, Severus, Blaise and Theo.

After an hour talking to the foursome, she had the same story from all of them, and everything they said matched what Lucius had told her and Kingsley earlier. Blaise had also provided her with the name of the pub that Draco was last seen, and Severus had been back to the office to find the note Draco had sent to Hermione. So far it was seeming as though their story was checking out perfectly.

By the time Tonks had taken her witness statements, the healers had finished with Draco and Hermione. However, Draco had been in a pretty bad way so the Healers had sedated him for the night. So instead of speaking to him, all Tonks could get was a horrifying list of his injuries and the Healer's best guess at what exactly had happened to him.

"It sounds as though he really went through it," Tonks remarked as she folded up the list of injuries the healer had provided her with.

"He did," the healer replied with an agreeable nod. "Luckily he's a fit young wizard, so I don't see any major problems with his recovery."

"Will we be able to talk to him tomorrow?" Tonks asked.

"You should," the healer answered with another nod. "But I can't give any guarantee's. Let's wait and see what the morning brings."

"And Hermione?" Tonks asked. "Could I speak to her now?"

"Yes," the healer said. "Her family are with her now, but when they're finished, she's agreed to talk to you."

Tonks only had a short wait before the Malfoys went to sit with their son, leaving Hermione alone to talk to her. Entering Hermione's private room, Tonks couldn't help but gasp as the sight of young witch's bruised face, complete with a bandage on her forehead. There was also an air of sadness around Hermione and Tonks wanted nothing more than to take the young girl in her arms and tell her everything was going to be alright.

"Hello Tonks," Hermione said quietly as Tonks took the seat beside her bed.

"Hello Hermione, how are you feeling?" Tonks asked, giving Hermione a warm smile.

"My head feels like someone is trying to hammer their way out of my brain," Hermione replied. "And I ache all over. But mainly I'm relieved to be here, and I'm relieved Draco is still here."

"The healers seemed pretty confident he would make a full recovery," Tonks assured her.

"So they said," Hermione replied with a small smile which did nothing to hide her relief at the news.

"You really care for him, don't you?" Tonks questioned.

"Until today, I didn't realise how much," Hermione said, carefully choosing her words to reflect the sort of relationship most of the wizarding world thought she had with Draco. "He's been nothing but kind to me since the truth came out. It certainly made accepting our bond easier to deal with. But today I almost lost him, and it made me realise that I don't just like him because of the bond. I think I'm falling in love with him, Tonks."

"That's good," Tonks said with a genuine smile. "It's always good to be in love."

"Is it?" Hermione questioned, a sad shadow passing over her bruised face. "I thought Ron loved me, and look at how that ended up. He turned on me the second he found out who my father was, and then along with Harry, he started to accuse me of all sorts. I met up with them after graduation you know."

"I know," Tonks said. "They said that after speaking to you they realised they'd been wrong. They seemed genuinely remorseful for what they'd said and done following graduation."

"That clearly didn't last," Hermione snorted. "It's only a few weeks later and here they are kidnapping and torturing Draco. I hope they're going to be arrested for what they've done? You have found them, haven't you?"

"We've found them," Tonks replied quietly. "But we won't be arresting them."

"Why not? What they did was criminal," Hermione spat, allowing her anger to briefly flare before acting as though a thought had just occurred to her. "Oh no. They didn't survive, did they?" she asked in a shaking voice.

"I'm afraid not," Tonks said.

"I killed them," Hermione wailed, putting on the perfect act of seeming distraught by the thought. "I didn't mean to Tonks. We were just defending ourselves."

"I know that," Tonks said soothingly, taking hold of Hermione's hand and patting it gently. "I know you would never willingly hurt Harry and Ron. But I do need to know what happened."

"Don't you already know?" Hermione sniffed, wiping at the tears she'd managed to fake at the news of Harry and Ron's demise. "I thought Lucius had spoken to you."

"We've spoken to everyone but you and Draco, but we need your side of things, Hermione," Tonks said gently. "We need to know what happened, in your own words."

"I guess you know about the note Draco sent to me at work?" Hermione asked and Tonks nodded her head. "Well it wasn't until Blaise turned up at the manor that we realised something was wrong. He swore he'd never arranged to meet Draco, and when he checked it out he found out that Draco had been seen leaving his local pub with what the barmaid thought was him and Theo."

"Which was when you realised something was badly wrong," Tonks said.

"Yes," Hermione said with a slow nod of her head. "To be honest, once we knew Draco was in trouble I realised I'd been feeling off since I'd gotten his note. It must have been the bond warning me of trouble. Maybe if I'd listened to it, Draco wouldn't have been hurt."

"You weren't to know, Hermione," Tonks said. "I'm no expert on bonds, but since it's only new to you, it's understandable that you didn't know when it was warning you of trouble. Besides, it seems as though you did still manage to get to him."

"That was thanks to Lucius and Severus," Hermione admitted. "I was pretty worried and didn't know what to do. But Lucius and Severus hit on the idea of doing a locator spell on Draco. It seemed to take an eternity, but finally they got a fix on his location."

"The cottage in Scotland," Tonks said. "And what happened when you got there?"

"We didn't know what was going on inside, so Lucius suggested we used force and took them by surprise," Hermione explained. "We all used the same spell to blast into the cottage, and we rushed in. The first thing I saw was Draco lying on the floor, half tied to a chair, so I rushed over to him."

"And what about Harry and Ron?" Tonks asked. "When was the first time you spotted them?"

"Once I was sure Draco was okay, I looked around and found Ron slumped against the wall. Draco said he'd been blown there when we stormed the cottage. His leg was virtually blown off."

"And that happened when you broke in?" Tonks questioned in confusion.

"He had Draco's wand in his front pocket," Hermione said. "His wand seems to have latched onto the spells we were doing to get into the house, and blasted Ron's leg to smithereens."

"That isn't normal," Tonks muttered. "So what about Harry?"

"He'd been fighting, but Lucius and Severus managed to subdue him," Hermione said. "Our plan was to hold Harry and Ron and contact the Ministry, but Harry wasn't giving up. He managed to get free of the restraints Lucius had placed on him and he came at me. I automatically sent a spell at him to knock him back, and Draco did the same. Our spells seemed to merge together and sent Harry into the wall with such force the cottage began to crumble around us. Draco couldn't escape in time, so I cast a protective spell around us, and again his wand seemed to act in sync with mine, casting a spell so strong that it saved us from the falling rubble."

"This magic thing is unusual," Tonks mused. "Maybe it's your bond making your magic act simultaneously."

"Maybe," Hermione said quietly.

"What is it Hermione?" Tonks asked. "What haven't you told me?"

"I've felt it before," Hermione admitted.

"The magic thing?" Tonks asked.

"Yes," Hermione confirmed with a nod. "Can you remember the incident last year, when Harry and Draco were fighting in Hogsmeade and my spell sent Harry crashing into a wall?"

"Yes," Tonks said thoughtfully. "Dumbledore said he thought your worry for Harry caused your magic to produce an extra strong spell."

"I honestly thought that was what it was," Hermione said. "But since I've gotten to know Draco, he admitted that on that day, he felt his wand cast a spell at the same time as mine. We didn't really think about it, and thought it was just the bond, but it happened again tonight. I felt the extra surge of energy when I cast the spells tonight."

"So it is your bond," Tonks said.

"I don't know," Hermione admitted with a shrug. "I guess it's something we're going to have to look into."

"It's something the Ministry will be looking into as well," Tonks said. "I've never heard of two people being able to cast spells in perfect synchronisation, and certainly not with added force. It could be dangerous Hermione, and the Ministry have a duty to investigate."

"Draco and I will do anything we can to help," Hermione offered. "If of course we're not stuck in Azkaban."

"You won't be going to Azkaban, Hermione," Tonks assured the young witch. "From everything you've told me, you and Draco both acted in self-defence. Unless we find differently in our investigations, I doubt any charges will be brought against you. After all, Draco was the victim of a horrific kidnapping."

"And what if Harry and Ron's family don't see it like that?" Hermione asked. "After all, they're both dead, and whether we meant to or not, Draco and I killed them."

"No, they killed themselves with their rash actions," Tonks corrected. "Don't worry Hermione, I will do everything in my power to protect you. I will not let you go to Azkaban because Harry and Ron couldn't let go of their stupid theory. You're a good person, Hermione, and I will not let their actions bring you down."

"Thank you Tonks," Hermione whispered, genuinely touched by the Auror's support.

Assuring Hermione that she wasn't alone, Tonks said her goodbyes and headed back to reunite with Kingsley. After her talk with Hermione she was positive that it had been Harry and Ron in the wrong, and Hermione and Draco were just defending themselves. Comparing notes with Kingsley, she found that everything Hermione had told her had been borne out by the evidence at the cottage. Kingsley was also on the same page as Tonks, and as they headed off to inform Lily and the Weasleys of their losses, they were both convinced that Harry and Ron had brought their untimely demises on themselves and if they hadn't kidnapped Draco then they would still be alive.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N – I just want to thank people for reading this story, and let you know that I'm nearly finished writing it and should soon be able to let you know exactly how long it will be.**

 **I also just want to say something after a review I received. I am well aware that not everyone will like every story I write, or even like any at all, and I'm perfectly fine with that. But if people don't like stories, not just mine but anyone's, then I would ask them to just walk away like a decent human being and not leave a pile of unnecessary negativity as a review. I've started plenty of stories I've not liked or had a problem with, but I've never once considered leaving a review to such an effect. I merely accepted that the story wasn't my cup of tea and I walked away. There is so much nastiness in this world and it just really bugs me that some people are so pathetic that they feel the need to spend time trying to bring down other people. Just so these people are aware, I ignore reviews that are just clearly out to hurt people, and I will not let the haters stop me writing and posting.**

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After spending one night in St Mungo's, Hermione was given a prescription for a strong pain relief potion and discharged. However, aside from a quick trip back to the manor to assure her father she was truly alright and change her clothes, she immediately settled by Draco's bedside with Narcissa. Lucius was also around, but he was also making sure that there were no holes in their story and that anything they said to the Aurors would be believed.

In the harsh light of the hospital, Hermione thought that Draco looked even worse than she'd initially feared. His entire face was bruised and covered in cuts, and the bruises continued down his body, which was swathed in various bandages. And even though he was sedated and sleeping, Hermione doubted his left eye would open right away as it was severely swollen. But on the plus side the Healers were pleased with how he was holding up and they didn't foresee any problems with his recovery.

Even so, Hermione didn't really stop worrying until shortly before lunchtime when her fiancé began to stir. Almost immediately the healers and medi-witches were at Draco's side, and Hermione and Narcissa were forced to wait outside while an examination took place. Thankfully the healer was pretty positive after the examination, and even though Draco had to remain in St Mungo's for a few days, it was expected he would make a full recovery as long as he got some much needed rest.

"Hey, you had us all worried," Hermione said to Draco as she and Narcissa re-entered the room to find he was awake, although as Hermione had predicted his left eye was still shut.

"I'm tougher than I look," Draco replied. "How are you?" Even with just the one eye opened, he could see Hermione was battered and bruised and was sporting a bandage on her forehead.

"Just a bit of surface damage," Hermione said with an unconcerned shrug. "I've already been discharged."

"I wish I was," Draco grouched. "I hate hospitals."

"Tough, you are staying here until you are better," Narcissa insisted. "Or at least until you're well enough to come home," she conceded when Draco glared at her from his good eye.

"Hopefully that will be soon," Draco replied. "Or are we going to be arrested?" he asked, turning his head to face Hermione.

"I don't think so," Hermione replied. "I was speaking with Tonks yesterday and she didn't think we would be charged. After all, we were just defending ourselves."

"Which we were," Draco pointed out. It was true they could have just restrained Potter and Weasley and called for the Aurors, where instead they'd chose to kill them, but it never would have come to that if they hadn't kidnapped and tortured him in the first place.

"You'll probably be getting a visit from them today," Narcissa informed her son. "They wanted to speak to you yesterday, but the healers wouldn't allow it."

"In that case, you need to tell me what exactly you told them," Draco said to Hermione. "I don't want to say anything that contradicts anything you've said."

Agreeing that it was best to get their stories straight, Hermione told Draco everything she'd discussed with Tonks. Draco was surprised she'd mentioned their magical connection, but as Hermione pointed out, there would be questions asked if she didn't mention it. After all, they would quickly discover that the damage to the cottage far exceeded any normal spell. And then there would have been the question as to how they'd survived the collapse when Harry and Ron had been killed.

"What if they link what we can to the break-in at The Hog's Head?" Draco asked. "There was a lot of speculation at the time about the sort of spell used to gain access to the pub."

"Then we deny any knowledge of it," Hermione replied with a shrug. "They can't prove anything."

"Even so, I think we have to be careful," Draco warned. "They're going to discover our wands are twin cores, and that we're pretty powerful together. That could cause some people to rise up against us."

"Then they're fools," Hermione snorted. "Once it becomes public knowledge just what we can achieve together if we set our mind to it, no-one will dare challenge us."

"And if they do?" Narcissa asked.

"Then maybe it's time for us to live up to our prophecy," Hermione said quietly. "I've always said I've got no desire to rule the world, but if that is what it takes to live in peace, then I won't hesitate to act."

"Let's just wait and see what happens, shall we," Narcissa said, deciding that a change of subject was in order.

Following Narcissa's lead, the topic of what would happen if they were opposed was dropped by Hermione and Draco. Instead they turned their attention to other things, and they were busy chatting about Hermione's plans for her potions company when a medi-witch poked her head into the room and announced that two Aurors were here to see Draco.

"Show them in," Draco said as he got Hermione and Narcissa to help him sit up in bed.

A couple of minutes later, Kingsley and Tonks entered the room. Both of their eyes widened at the sight of Draco, and Tonks even winced slightly at the sight of the battered and bruised wizard.

"It's good to see you up," Kingsley said politely to Draco. "Are you up to giving us a statement?"

"I am," Draco confirmed with a small nod of his head.

"I'm afraid it'll have to be in private," Kingsley said to Hermione and Narcissa.

"Of course, I need to pop home for a while anyway," Narcissa said. "I'll bring you some things to make you more comfortable," she said to her son, gently kissing him on the forehead.

"Thank you," Draco replied as his mother swept out of the room.

"Why don't we go and get a drink, Hermione," Tonks suggested. "Kingsley can take Draco's statement."

Leaving her fiancé with Kingsley, Hermione headed off with Tonks to grab a drink. After each getting a cup of lukewarm tea from the vending machine, they settled in the relatives room while Kingsley was busy with Draco.

"How are you?" Tonks asked. "To be honest, you still look as though you should be resting."

"I should be," Hermione admitted. "But I couldn't bring myself to leave Draco."

"You make sure you get some rest Hermione. You're no good to him if you make yourself ill," Tonks advised.

"I will do," Hermione promised. "So how are things going on your end? I take it Lily and the Weasleys know about Harry and Ron."

"We informed them last night," Tonks replied with a sad sigh.

"How did they take it?"

To be honest, Hermione couldn't help but think that maybe what had happened to Harry and Ron was justice for what their parents had done to her. Even getting her father back didn't change the fact she'd lost her parents as a baby, and she would never know her mother. The Order took her family away from her, and try as she might, Hermione couldn't feel too much pity for Lily and the Weasleys. Or at least she didn't feel for Molly and Arthur, the rest of the family was a different matter and she felt bad that they'd all lost a brother.

"As you would expect, Molly and Lily were both distaught," Tonks said. "Remus is staying with Lily so she's not alone, and for the first time in months, all the Weasleys are together. As tragic as it is, Ron's death might be what brings the family back together again."

"That would be good," Hermione replied, not sure if she meant it or not. While she held no animosity towards the younger Weasleys, and in fact still wanted to make amends with the twins for her part in their business troubles, she couldn't forgive Molly and Arthur for what they'd done for her, and she couldn't help but think that they didn't deserve the loving family they had.

"You don't sound so sure," Tonks remarked, picking up on Hermione's confusion even though she was sure the younger witch had tried to hide it.

"Maybe I'm not," Hermione admitted with a rueful smile, reminding herself that Tonks was smart and she needed to be careful what she said, and her tone of voice, around the Auror. "The truth is, I'm not sure I can ever forgive Molly and Arthur for what they did to me as a baby. It hurts that they have a family, yet mine were taken from me before I was old enough to even remember them."

"No-one blames you for being angry and hurt over what happened to you," Tonks assured her. "In your shoes, I'm not sure I would have been able to remain so calm. I think I would have wanted some sort of retribution."

"It's not like it's going to bring back my parents," Hermione said with a shrug. "I don't want to waste my life consumed by anger. All I want is to live in peace."

"Hopefully that's exactly what you can do," Tonks said encouragingly.

"I thought that before," Hermione said quietly. "And even when I knew Harry and Ron hated me, I didn't think they would stoop this low. Maybe I should have tried harder to get them to see the truth."

"There is nothing you could have done to prevent this," Tonks insisted. "Harry and Ron had everyone fooled. We all thought they'd decided to let go of their hatred and move on."

"I should have known that it wouldn't happen though," Hermione argued. "I've known them for so long, I should have known what they were like. They hated Athena the second they knew she existed. Why did I ever think that would change when I turned out to be Athena? I knew they hated me, and that day we met, I didn't try and get them to see my point of view, I was just so angry with them all I did was reinforce their opinion that I was evil. If only we'd met before they started spreading rumours about my father, things might have been different."

"What does your father have to do with anything?" Tonks asked.

"I'd already agreed to the meeting before that article in The Daily Prophet, claiming that Dumbledore hadn't killed my father after all," Hermione explained. "I agreed to meet them because I genuinely thought they were sorry and wanted to make amends. But then that article appeared and I realised they still couldn't just accept the truth, they were still trying to twist things and save Dumbledore's reputation. I wasn't in a very forgiving mood when we met up, and I'm afraid that by telling them what I thought of them, I just inflamed their hatred of me."

"It's not like you can change how the meeting went," Tonks said. "And who knows, even if you hadn't given them a piece of your mind, they still might have done this. I think Harry and Ron were more stubborn than we gave them credit for."

"Although at least now the cruel rumours about my father might be put to rest," Hermione said. "They will stop, won't they? Or do the rest of the Order believe that he's alive?"

"It's something we've never been able to agree on," Tonks admitted. "There is no doubt that Dumbledore wrote the letter claiming your father was alive, but we've got no proof he was telling the truth. Harry and Ron believed him without a doubt, but after all the lies he'd told, other people were less willing to believe his claims. A fair few people think that it was just an attempt to try and clear his name."

"And what about you?" Hermione asked. "What do you believe?"

"I believe that the world saw what happened to your parents at graduation," Tonks replied. "I believe that if your father was still alive, Dumbledore would have said something sooner. He wouldn't have allowed himself to be arrested and sentenced for a murder he didn't commit. If he could have proved his story of your father being alive, he would have done so before he died. In my opinion that letter to Harry was only ever meant to be found upon his death. I don't think he had any intention of sending it when he was transferred to Azkaban."

"Thank you Tonks, it's nice to know that not everyone hates me because of who my father is," Hermione said with a soft smile.

"We can't choose our parents, Hermione. And you certainly didn't deserve to be taken from yours as a baby," Tonks replied. "Your parents don't define who you are as a person, you do that all by yourself. And for the record, I think you're a pretty great person. If they hadn't been killed, I think your parents would have been proud of the witch you turned out to be."

Hermione smiled softly at Tonks, thinking just how right the Auror was. She knew her father was very proud of her, only she doubted that Tonks would think that the reasons he was proud of her were very good ones. After all, her father wasn't proud of the innocent, victimised witch other people thought she was. He was proud of her fighting spirit and tenacity, and most of all he was proud of her dark nature and the way she'd gained revenge for her parents and taken out her enemies in such ruthless fashion. Although only time would tell whether her dark side was sated, or whether there would be another chance for her to embrace the darkness she'd inherited from her father.


	25. Chapter 25

The sun had barely been up an hour as Ginny Weasley wandered away from the family home and down towards the nearby pond. Unconcerned by the damp grass, Ginny sat down at the pond's edge and silently watched the family of ducks splashing around merrily. Ginny wished she was as carefree as the birds she was watching, but she was awash with grief as she struggled to cope with losing her brother and Harry.

When Ginny had first been called home from Hogwarts, her first thought was that the worst had happened and as a result of the recent sanctions inflicted on her father, the family were going to lose The Burrow. But her brothers had sworn that no matter what their feelings for their parents, they would make sure The Burrow stayed in the family, although how Molly and Arthur were going to live day to day was a different story. However, the truth was much worse than losing her family home and Ginny had been heartbroken to learn that the brother she was closest to and the wizard she'd idolised for years were dead.

Not that it had really helped when it became clear that the general consensus was going to be that Harry and Ron had brought their untimely deaths on themselves. Kingsley and Tonks had explained how they'd perished following their kidnapping and torturing of Draco Malfoy, and it was clear the two Aurors were of the opinion that Harry and Ron were the ones at fault. And not one of the family contradicted that opinion either, and not one of them seemed to blame Hermione and Draco.

But Ginny did. She totally blamed Hermione for what had happened to Harry and Ron, and she fully intended to get revenge for them. While the rest of the world may have been fooled by Hermione's little miss innocent act, Ginny wasn't. Even when Harry and Ron had met up with her and changed their minds about who was behind events of the year before, Ginny's opinion hadn't changed. Granted, she'd never spoken to Hermione, or heard exactly what Draco had said to Harry and Ron, but deep down she believed that Hermione had been part of what had been happening all along.

Once she'd gone back to Hogwarts, Ginny had been kept up to date by Harry and Ron, and while she knew their opinion of Hermione had changed, she'd been aware of their plan to try and bring down Draco. Or rather, she'd been aware they'd been planning something, she just hadn't been told exactly what. And if Harry and Ron had told her they'd been planning on kidnapping Draco, she would have warned them against it. Instead she would have advised to take him out without having to get personally involved. That way, even if Hermione and the Malfoys suspected their involvement, they wouldn't have been able to prove it, and if they'd then retaliated, they would have been the ones painted as villains. But instead Harry and Ron had been reckless, and even though they were the ones who'd lost their lives, they would still be classed as the villains of the piece, and yet again Hermione would be seen as the innocent victim.

"Boys," Ginny sobbed, picking up a stone and hurling it into the pond. "Why didn't you let me help you?"

Breaking down in tears, Ginny wrapped her arms around herself and allowed herself some time to mourn the loss of Harry and Ron. In her grief she remained by the pond for a couple of hours, and when she did dry her face, she vowed she wouldn't cry again until she'd had revenge for the pair. Determinedly getting to her feet, she brushed the loose grass off her clothes, before heading back to The Burrow, where she fully intended to find out just how much support she had in bringing down the monsters who had killed Harry and Ron.

Entering the kitchen, Ginny found all her brothers in the room. No doubt Molly was still curled up in bed, where she'd retreated to upon finding out about Ron's death, and Arthur was likely trying to convince her that she couldn't spend the rest of her life in bed. Although how persuasive he could be when he himself wouldn't leave the house unless he absolutely had to, Ginny didn't know.

"We thought you were still in bed," Bill said to Ginny as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"I can't sleep," Ginny replied with a shrug.

"It's not easy, is it?" Bill agreed with a long sigh. "I just can't believe we're never going to see Ron again."

"Thanks to that evil bitch," Ginny spat.

"Don't start, Ginny," Fred warned in a low voice. "Now is not the time."

"So when is the time to discuss the bitch who killed our brother?" Ginny questioned sharply, looking around at her brothers.

"Blaming Hermione isn't going to get us anywhere," Percy said wisely. "It's not like she struck Ron down with the killing curse."

"She could have for all you know, and the building collapse could have just been a ruse," Ginny argued.

"And if that is the case, the investigation will reveal that," Percy said. "You can't hide the use of the killing curse, Ginny. If Harry and Ron had been killed that way, collapsing a cottage on them wouldn't hide the fact."

"Okay, so maybe she didn't use the killing curse," Ginny conceded. "But how are we to know the cottage collapse was an accident? That might have been her way of killing Harry and Ron."

"And what, she trapped herself and Malfoy inside as well, where they could have also died?" George snorted.

"We only have their word that they were still inside the cottage when it collapsed," Ginny protested. "Why are you all so eager to believe Hermione and the Malfoys? Have you forgotten about the fact the Malfoys knew who Hermione was before graduation? Their protests of thinking her dead have been proved false. They would have known the witch Malfoy was bonded with was alive."

"How do you know?" Bill questioned. "Do you know how their bond works? Because every bond is different, and it manifests itself differently in different couples. Yes, the Malfoys might have been able to tell that Athena was alive, but then again, they might not have been. The truth is, Ginny, you have no idea what the Malfoys did and didn't know before graduation. And I can tell you this, you will never get them to admit anything more than they've already said. Even if Harry and Ron were right, and they were behind events of the last year, you won't be able to prove it."

"So you do think they could be behind it all?" Ginny questioned, latching onto the smallest bit of hope that finally someone might be going to give her some support.

"Personally, no," Bill said as he shook his head. "But that is because, I don't believe half of what Harry and Ron were accusing them of being behind was deliberate."

"Like what?" Ginny demanded.

"My accident for a start," Charlie said. "I work in a dangerous profession where accidents are common."

"As do I," Bill added. "It was just unlucky that Charlie and I were both hurt in the same year."

"Or you could say we've been riding our luck for years since neither of us have been seriously injured before last year," Charlie countered. "Some wizards I work with have been injured nearly ever year."

"And a lot of curse-breakers have been injured far more than me," Bill said. "It was just bad luck."

"You really believe that?" Ginny scoffed. "Especially on top of everything else that happened to us last year?"

"Like what?" Bill scoffed. "Dad being injured in an attack? That's a risk every one of the Order takes when they go up against the Death Eaters. Anyone could have been hurt that day."

"But that wasn't all, was it?" Ginny snapped. "You two and Dad were injured, Percy lost his job, the twins lost an investor and we nearly lost the house."

"I lost my job because of my own carelessness," Percy said, his cheeks staining at the mention of the incident that had caused him the career he'd been working so hard on achieving. "I've been told time and time again to check any document I put my name to. And while I still can't recall signing any document pertaining to Azkaban, it was my signature on the forms. Clearly I had been careless as some point."

"You're never careless Percy," Ginny argued. "I'm telling you, Lucius Malfoy set you up."

"And what would he have to gain from that?" Percy asked. "I was no-one special at the Ministry. It wasn't like getting rid of me got rid of a problem he was having. He didn't benefit from me losing my job, no-one did."

"No, but we suffered because of it," Ginny retorted. "Especially after what happened with the twins shop."

"And the only person to blame for that was Sirius," George snorted. "Our investor only pulled out because of Sirius's arrest, and the fact he was also an investor."

"Oh yes, the crime he still denies committing," Ginny remarked with a roll of her eyes. "Why can't you see, it's all connected? Harry's father was killed, and then framed over an affair he wasn't even having. And then that witch is mysteriously attacked, and Sirius is blamed. Which of course leads to your investor pulling out and nearly bankrupting the family."

"That is so convoluted," Bill said with a shake of his head. "Sometimes things are exactly as they appear, Ginny. Harry may not have wanted to believe it, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest James was indeed having an affair. And even though Sirius denies attacking the witch in question, we all know how reckless he can be, and we all know how much he loves the Potters. He would have done anything to save James's reputation and save Lily and Harry from further hurt by having James's love-child walking around the place."

"And what about James's death itself?" Ginny demanded. "We still don't know who killed him."

"True," Charlie agreed with a nod. "But you can't blame Hermione there. She was drugged along with the rest of the house. It was damn lucky that not everyone was killed that night."

"You lot are so blind," Ginny screeched as she jumped to her feet, finally losing patience with her brothers. "All the clues point to Hermione being behind all of these events. She was the only one with the knowledge of how best to hurt us. She was directing the Malfoys. She arranged for James to be killed, and Sirius to end up in Azkaban. She arranged for every single member of this family to be targeted."

"And how was Mum targeted?" George interrupted.

"Yeah, and you and Ron," Fred added. "Nothing unusual happened to any of you."

"Do you not think Mum suffered when two of her children were hurt in accidents?" Ginny countered. "Do you not think she suffered when Percy lost his job, you two nearly lost the shop and the family nearly became homeless."

"But what about you and Ron?" Bill questioned. "Fred's right. Nothing happened to either of you two."

"There was the quidditch incident with Ron and his broom," Ginny argued. "And I just bet you Hermione was planning on ditching him publically. And you all know that she slipped me a lust potion and sent the Slytherins after me."

"Results of a lust potion are short lived," Percy snorted. "The most it would have been enabled you to do is lose your inhibitions for a few hours. What happened wasn't just a brief lapse, Ginny. You dated one Slytherin for weeks, maybe even months, before starting another relationship with his friend. No potion is accountable for your lack of morals."

"How dare you," Ginny hissed, turning bright red as her brother basically implied she was a tart. "I wasn't in my right mind. I did not know what I was doing. Hermione set me up."

"Just drop it Ginny," Charlie warned. "No-one is interested in your wild theories. Just look at what happened to Harry and Ron because they couldn't move on and leave the past well alone."

"So you also think they deserved what happened to them?" Ginny demanded.

"No-one thinks they deserved to die, Ginny," Bill said gently.

"Kingsley and Tonks do," Ginny pouted.

"No, they think they brought it on themselves," Percy corrected. "And they are right. You can't disguise the fact, they kidnapped and tortured Malfoy. If they hadn't done that, there would have been no need for a rescue, and a fight wouldn't have broken out. Don't go down the same path, Ginny. You need to accept that Hermione is innocent, and the only one whose being manipulating us this entire time is Dumbledore."

"What do you mean by that?" Ginny whispered. "How can Dumbledore be manipulating us, he's dead?"

"And just look at the trouble he's caused since his death," George remarked. "Given time, Harry and Ron would have calmed down and accepted that Hermione hadn't done anything wrong. But yet Dumbledore had to stir things up with his letter claiming that You-Know-Who wasn't dead."

"But he isn't," Ginny argued. "The Order agreed that he's still alive."

"No, we decided to give Dumbledore the benefit of the doubt," Bill corrected. "We alerted the authorities, and they investigated and came up with nothing. Don't forget it was Kingsley and Tonks who searched the cottage, and they found no evidence Dumbledore had ever been holding a prisoner."

"And if he is still alive, where is he?" Fred asked. "There hasn't even been a whisper of his presence in our world."

"Clearly he's in hiding with the Malfoys," Ginny argued.

"Something they all deny," Charlie pointed out. "Tonks even asked Hermione about it, and she hasn't seen her father. He's dead, Ginny, and he has been for years."

"No, I don't believe it and neither did Harry and Ron," Ginny insisted. "He's alive because of these Horcrux things. Have you even looked into them?"

"The Order have done some research," Bill admitted. "But nothing Dumbledore said in his letter is proof of anything. Even Moody, who has the most experience of us all, doesn't think it's viable for anyone to have as many Horcruxes as Dumbledore claims You-Know-Who had. And then there's the fact that Dumbledore didn't share this information with anyone until he was dead. Even when they were planning to take Hermione as a baby, he never confided in anyone that he didn't think You-Know-Who could be killed."

"So none of you believe?" Ginny checked.

"Sorry Ginny," Bill said with a shake of his head. "And it's the feeling of most of the Order. A lot of people gave Harry a chance, but now they're going to be only too happy to walk away and get on with the rest of their lives. And that's what we need to do. We need to grieve for Ron, and then get on with our lives and make him proud of us."

"I will make him proud, just you wait and see," Ginny vowed as she turned and left the kitchen, well aware that she was well and truly on her own.

Her family couldn't be relied on to help her, so she would just have to bring Hermione down on her own. Only she was going to be smarter than Harry and Ron, and she wasn't going to give Hermione the opportunity to get to her first. Hermione would never see her coming, and by the time she did realise who was going to be her downfall, it would be too late for her to do anything about it.


	26. Chapter 26

Even though it was only late afternoon, Hermione was tired and more than ready for bed. Not that she was planning on going to bed as she was at St Mungo's with Draco, and reluctant to leave her fiancé. After Draco had initially being given the all clear by the healers it was hoped that he wouldn't have to spend too long in hospital and that most of his recovery could be done at home. However, less than twenty four hours after he woke up, Draco had suffered a fit and the healers had found some minor bleeding on the brain. Fortunately, they'd caught it quickly and a team of expert healers had mended the damage, but it still meant he'd been in hospital longer than anyone had hoped. It also meant that Hermione was reluctant to leave in case anything else happened and she wasn't there for Draco.

"You need to go home and get some rest," Draco ordered as Hermione's head began to droop.

"I'm fine," Hermione insisted, shaking her head to try and jolt some alertness back into herself.

"No, you're making yourself ill, and I won't have it," Draco said. "Go home Athena."

"Who made you the boss of me?" Hermione asked with a smile. Normally she would object to Draco ordering her around, but it was good to hear him sounding more like his normal self.

"I'm getting in practice for when we're married," Draco replied. "I expect an obedient wife, you know."

"Sorry sweetheart, you're going to be disappointed," Hermione laughed. "I don't do obedience."

"I can train you," Draco returned.

"More like I can train you to be the obedient one," Hermione shot back with a teasing smile.

"Or how about we just stay as equals," Draco suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Hermione agreed.

"But we can only be equals, if we're both healthy," Draco said, returning the subject to his original point. "What's the point in me getting better, if you're only going to make yourself ill watching over me."

"I just hate to leave you alone," Hermione admitted as she leaned forward and took hold of Draco's hand.

"I'm not alone, I'm in a hospital full of people," Draco countered. "And I'm sure mother will be here sooner or later."

"But what if something happens when I'm not here?" Hermione questioned in a quiet voice.

"Nothing is going to happen," Draco assured her. "The healers have ran more tests than enough over the last couple of days. They're satisfied I'm making a full recovery, and there was no lasting damage from the bleed on the brain."

"I would still feel better if I was with you," Hermione said.

"And I would feel better if you got some rest," Draco countered. "Go home, Hermione. Have a few hours sleep and come back later. We can maybe then see the healer and persuade him that it's time for me to go home as well."

"Okay, but I will be back in a few hours," Hermione said reluctantly as she got to her feet. She would still rather stay with Draco, but she knew he was right and that she needed some valuable rest.

"I'll still be here," Draco joked.

"You better be," Hermione warned as she gave her fiancé a brief kiss.

Assuring Draco she would be back after a bit of rest, Hermione left his private room and made her way towards the medi-witches station at the end of the corridor. Her plan was to inform the staff she was leaving, but wanted to be notified if even the slightest thing happened to Draco. However, before she got a chance to announce she was going home, the medi-witch on duty informed her that there were some people waiting to see her in the relatives room.

"Waiting to see me?" Hermione asked with a confused frown.

"Yes," the medi-witch replied with a nod of her head. "It shouldn't really be allowed, but they said they were friends of yours and didn't know how else to find you. Of course, I wouldn't allow them into Mr Malfoy's room, but I did say they could wait in the relatives room for you."

Thanking the medi-witch, Hermione made her way to the relatives room, wondering who on earth was waiting for her. When she entered the room she stopped in her tracks when she found Neville, Fred and George waiting for her. She hadn't seen Neville since graduation, and the twins sometime before that, and even though they didn't look mad at her, Hermione was still wary. Their letters over the summer had all been supportive, but things had changed since then and Hermione was no longer sure she could count on their support and friendship.

"Hermione," Neville cried, jumping to his feet and pulling a still stunned Hermione into his arms. "Thank Merlin you're alright."

"Give her a chance to breath, Neville," Fred laughed.

"Yeah, don't crush Hermione before we've had a chance to hug her," George added with a chuckle of his own.

Before Hermione knew it, the twins had also both crushed her in a tight hug, and she found herself standing in front of three grinning wizards, each of them obviously thrilled to see her.

"Wow, I don't know what to say," she finally muttered.

"You didn't think we would hate you, did you?" Neville asked in concern.

"The thought had crossed my mind," Hermione admitted. "Especially after what's just happened," she added, looking more towards Fred and George and trying to work out if they blamed her for Ron's death.

"We don't blame you, Hermione," George assured her.

"We won't lie, we're devastated about Ron, but we know it's not your fault," Fred said. "I really don't know what he and Harry thought they were playing at."

"I only wish they had been playing," Hermione muttered.

"How are you?" Neville asked. "Did they hurt you?"

"I'm okay," Hermione replied. "Draco bore the brunt of things."

"And how is he?" Fred questioned. "We were rather surprised to hear he was still in St Mungo's. Tonks said he'd woken up the day after it had happened."

"He had, and he seemed fine, but then he started to fit and they discovered a bleed on his brain," Hermione explained. "They managed to control it and fix the damage, but its meant he's spent longer in here than he would like."

"You sound as though you really care about him," George remarked.

"I do," Hermione answered. "He's been brilliant since graduation. I really don't know how I would have coped since then without him. I probably would have ended up in a pit of misery, but Draco wouldn't allow me to wallow in self-pity."

"You should never have been in that position in the first place, Hermione," Neville said with a shake of his head. "What happened to you at graduation was brutal."

"What happened before that was hardly a picnic either," Fred snorted. "We're really sorry, Hermione. What happened to you and your parents was so wrong. We'll never forgive Mum and Dad for being a part of it."

"I don't want to come between families," Hermione said.

"You didn't do this Hermione," George assured her. "This is all the work of that sodding Order."

"But at least you don't have to worry about them any more," Neville informed her. "They've officially disbanded and Dad promised me that he'll personally make sure that no-one comes after you. We all know you're an innocent victim in all of this."

"All of you?" Hermione questioned in surprise. "Were Harry and Ron the lone voices against me?"

"Pretty much," Fred confirmed.

"And you also don't have to worry about Dumbledore's lies," George said. "We all know he was merely trying to repair his reputation and cause more trouble. We all know that he killed your father."

"I have to admit, it's a relief to know the rumours and accusations are going to stop," Hermione replied with a soft smile. "It wasn't easy reading about claims my father was still alive, when I watched him being killed."

"To be honest, no-one truly believed it," Neville admitted. "The rest of the Order just wanted to be sure he wasn't really back and a threat again. I know he was your father Hermione, and we all agree he didn't deserve to be killed the way he was, but he was a danger."

"I know," Hermione replied with an agreeable nod. "I'm under no illusions about who my father was. It just would have been nice to get to know him for myself."

"We can't help you there, but we can promise you that you'll be left in peace from now on," Fred said.

"So is this goodbye?" Hermione asked.

"Not unless you want it to be," Neville replied. "We're still your friends, Hermione. We've all wanted to see you for so long, but we understood that you needed time to adjust. We just couldn't wait any longer after what happened."

"We had to be sure you were really okay," Fred added.

"I really am okay," Hermione assured the trio. "And I really appreciate your friendship, and that you gave me time when I needed it. But I would like to stay friends. In fact I have a proposition for you, Fred and George."

"Oh, what would Malfoy say?" George joked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Actually, it was his idea," Hermione replied.

"Now that is kinky," Fred laughed. "So come on Hermione, proposition us."

"How would you like an investor in your shop?" Hermione asked. "I didn't have the money to invest before, but since the truth had come out about who I am, I've come into a bit of money."

"And a business," Neville remarked. It had been reported in the Daily Prophet when Hermione had taken over a Potions business and handed part of it over to Severus Snape.

"And a business," Hermione agreed with a nod. "Of course, I'd understand if you want to refuse. Especially as certain people thought I was responsible for your last investor pulling out."

"We know that had nothing to do with you, Hermione," George said. "But are you sure you want to invest in us? We're just starting out, but that setback last year cost us a hell of a lot. It's going to take time to get back to where we'd hoped to be by now."

"I have all the time in the world," Hermione replied with a shrug. "I'm in a position to help my friends, so that is what I want to do."

"In that case, welcome on board partner," Fred said, slinging his arm around Hermione's shoulder.

"We should set up a meeting to discuss things properly," Hermione said. "I want to invest, but I have no intention of interfering. I do have a business of my own to manage."

"We'll sort something out," George said. "And thank you Hermione. You have no idea how much this means to us."

"I'm happy to help," Hermione replied with a smile. "I just wish there was something I could do for you, Neville."

"You're my friend, that's all I need," Neville said with a smile.

Genuinely touched by the three wizards and their friendship, Hermione arranged to meet them all again soon. Her meeting with the twins would be to discuss investing in their shop, while her meeting with Neville was purely to spend some time with him. Feeling as though a weight had been lifted of her shoulders as the threat of the Order was no more, Hermione headed back to the manor to get some rest, little realising that the fight was far from over and she still had enemies.

* * *

 _ **G.O.V.**_

* * *

Hermione's main enemy, and the one she was in most danger from, was Ginny. And while Hermione was with the twins and Neville, getting assurances that no-one else was out to get her, Ginny was locked up in her bedroom putting her first plan to hurt Hermione into place. Ginny had been plotting for a couple of days, and even though she had more planned, she'd decided to kick off her campaign against Hermione with a letter bomb, which would hopefully scar that pretty face of hers.

With her parents caught up in their grief, and her brothers trying to organise Ron's funeral, Ginny had plenty of time on her own to find what she needed. After finding a recipe for an explosive powder, Ginny set about making it. A lot of the ingredients she found at home, but she did have to buy a few and she'd even stolen a couple of bits from the twins supplies for their inventions. As for making the powder, it was simple enough and it didn't take Ginny long before she had a small box full of the stuff.

When the powder was ready, Ginny bought a small padded envelope and placing some of the powder into the envelope she very carefully coated the seal in the powder. Providing she'd made the powder right, and she was confident she had, the second the seal was broken on the envelope, allowing air to mix with the powder, it would explode there and then.

Since Ginny wasn't sure if any of the wards at Malfoy Manor would detect such a dangerous package, Ginny addressed the parcel to Hermione's new business. Fortunately the name of Hermione's potions company had been in the papers, so it was easy for Ginny to find the name and use magic to write it into the envelope. Of course she still added Hermione's name as well as she didn't want anyone to be hurt, but at least now she didn't have to worry about getting a dangerous package through the sophisticated wards of Malfoy Manor.

With her dangerous parcel fully sorted, Ginny sent it off with a post owl from Diagon Alley, so that no-one could trace it back to her. As she watched the owl soaring off to deliver the letter to Hermione, Ginny vowed that she was only just getting started. She was planning on doing far more to Hermione than just sending her an explosive letter. But for now, the games had begun and Ginny was looking forward to hearing what trouble her surprise had caused for her former friend.


	27. Chapter 27

It was late morning as Severus settled down at the desk in his office to sort through the mail. Since Draco's kidnapping, Hermione hadn't been at work and he'd been running the business single handed. Not that Severus was complaining, as he understood Hermione's desire to be with Draco after coming so close to losing him. Although he was hoping that Hermione would be returning to work soon, as Draco was actually due home that very day, and he was adamant that he wasn't going to be laid up for too long.

But for now, it was just Severus at work, which meant all the mail had been stacked on his desk. Hoping that there wasn't too much junk among it, Severus began to open the envelops and sort out the correspondence. Quickly he got into a rhythm of sorting the mail into piles of junk, things that could be of interest and things that were important. As he was nearing the end of the pile, there was a knock on the door and his pretty young secretary, Becky, poked her head into the office.

"I'm going for lunch," Becky informed her boss. "Do you want something bringing back, or are you going out?"

"I've still got things to do here," Severus replied, tearing open the letter in his hand without looking at it.

As Severus opened the letter there was an almighty bang and smoke started billowing from the envelope. Poor Becky was totally stunned by the sudden explosion, but she was even more concerned when she realised she could no longer see her boss sitting at his desk.

"Mr Snape," she called, rushing forward. "Severus," she cried in concern as she found Severus lying on the floor, having been blown back by the explosion.

On the floor, Severus was moaning with agony. His hands were smoking from where he'd been holding the letter when it had exploded, and the left side of his face was red and blistering.

"Katie," Becky called loudly, hoping that Hermione's secretary hadn't yet left for lunch.

"What happened?" Katie cried, running into the room with her wand at the ready. "I was just leaving and heard a bang."

"A letter Mr Snape was opening exploded," Becky explained. "He's hurt, call the medi-wizards."

As Katie hurried off to get help, Becky extinguished a small fire that had started on the floor, where the burning letter had fallen after the explosion. She then sat down next to Severus, and assured him that help was on the way. With Severus still in obvious pain and distress, Becky wondered if she should try and do something with his injuries, but she had no medical training and didn't want to do anything that would make things worse. So instead she just hoped that the medi-wizards arrived promptly.

Luckily St Mungo's medi-wizards were always fast to respond to an emergency call, and they arrived at the offices in under two minutes. Becky quickly explained what had happened and stepped back to let the two medi-wizards work on Severus.

"Will he be okay?" Becky asked in concern as the medi-wizards started to load Severus onto a stretcher.

"Time is vital here," one of the medi-wizards replied. "We need to get him back to St Mungo's as quickly as possible."

"And if I were you, I would alert the Ministry," the second medi-wizard replied, nudging the charred envelope with his toe. "Unless this was an accident, I think we're looking at attempted murder."

"I'll contact the Ministry if you want to go with Mr Snape," Katie offered to her colleague, aware of how fond the other girl was of her boss.

"You better get in touch with Miss Granger as well," Becky said. "She'll want to know what's happened."

"I'll take care of everything," Katie assured her friend as they followed the medi-wizards towards the floo, where they would transport Severus to St Mungo's for emergency treatment.

Once the floo was free, Katie contacted the Ministry to report the incident before getting in touch with Malfoy Manor and giving Lucius a quick run-down of what had happened. Within seconds of ending her call with him, Lucius stepped out of the floo, a look of concern etched on his handsome features.

"What exactly happened?" Lucius demanded.

To the best of her ability, Katie informed Lucius what had happened. She then had to repeat her story only moments later when the Aurors arrived. The Aurors who arrived were Kingsley and Tonks, and Lucius followed them as they headed into Severus's office to inspect the scene of the explosion.

"What a mess," Tonks remarked, looking around at the office, which was still thick of smoke, was sporting a burnt bit of carpet and had a charred desk.

"It could have been really nasty," Kingsley said.

"I already think it is really nasty," Lucius said sharply. "My closest friend has been rushed to hospital."

"It could have been worse if he'd been looking directly at the letter," Tonks remarked. "I think his secretary might just have saved his life, distracting him when she did."

"Let's wait and see if he pulls through before we celebrate," Lucius said quietly. "So what are we dealing with?" he asked, returning to business and trying to stop worrying about Severus.

"I guess it could have been an accident," Kingsley said. "Maybe someone had sent some sort of sample and didn't ensure it was packed properly. Just last year we had a similar incident in the Potions research department at the Ministry. A mis-packaged potion ended up broken and half the staff came down with dragon pox."

"I think this is rather more serious than a case of dragon pox," Lucius snorted. In it's day the disease had been deadly, and in fact it had killed his own father, but these days there was a cure and it had been a couple of decades since anyone had died from the disease.

"I think it is," Tonks said quietly from where she'd squatted down on the floor to examine the remains of the envelope.

"What have you found?" Lucius asked as the young Auror began to carefully gather up the charred evidence and spread it on Severus's damaged desk.

Lucius watched as the two Aurors began to reassemble the envelope, and even though chunks were missing, it didn't take him long to spot that the letter was addressed to Hermione. If she hadn't been at home helping Draco get settled back in at the manor, she would have been the one to open the letter.

"Why was Severus opening a letter addressed to Hermione?" Kingsley asked, looking between Lucius and Katie, who was hovering in the doorway.

"Mr Snape has been dealing with all the post for the last week," Katie replied.

"Athena's been with Draco," Lucius said.

"But normally, she would have opened her own post?" Kingsley checked.

"Yes," Katie confirmed with a nod.

"So this was meant to reach Hermione," Tonks whispered.

"A deliberate attack?" Kingsley mused.

"What else would it be?" Lucius exploded. "First my son is kidnapped and almost killed, and now Severus is blown up while opening a letter meant for Athena."

"The two incidents are not connected, Lucius," Kingsley said. "After all, you can't blame two dead wizards for what's happened here today."

"No, but they both have family who could want to avenge them," Lucius snapped. "Although it was only yesterday that Athena was thrilled to be contacted by some old friends who assured her that no-one else thought like her two former friends. They promised her she would be safe."

"And I'm sure they meant it," Tonks said. "It was the twins and Neville she spoke to, and I know they all value Hermione's friendship. They would never try and hurt her like this."

"But someone would," Lucius insisted, jabbing at the charred remains of the envelope bearing his future daughter-in-law's name. "This is no accident. I'm sure that when you examine the envelope properly, you'll find it was rigged to explode."

"We'll see," Kingsley said non-committally, even though he fully agreed with Lucius and thought that letter had been deliberately sent to Hermione with the attention of hurting her.

"And will you find who sent the letter?" Lucius demanded.

"We will," Tonks vowed. "We take crimes like these very seriously, Mr Malfoy. If it does prove to be a deliberate act, we're talking attempted murder at the very least. And I can promise you, we put people like that in Azkaban."

"Excuse me for not having the greatest faith in our justice system," Lucius sneered. "Or are you forgetting the fact my goddaughter's kidnappers escaped justice for years? Not that they've really been brought to justice since then either. A don't call a bit of community service a suitable punishment for such a terrible crime."

"We don't hand out the punishments," Kingsley said. "If you have an issue, I suggest you speak to the Minister himself."

"Fudge is well aware of my feelings on the matter," Lucius snorted. "And since Athena has no desire to push things further, I've accepted things. However, I will not accept this perpetrator getting away with it. Someone tried to kill my goddaughter and in the process nearly killed my friend. As it is, we have no idea if Severus will even pull through."

"Why don't you go and see him," Tonks suggested. "We need to start processing the scene, and we can't do that with you here. We'll be there as soon as we can to check on him and take his secretary's statement."

Even though he would have liked to have stayed and checked the Aurors were taking their job seriously, Lucius was more concerned about going to check on Severus. So leaving Hermione's secretary to give her statement and check the Aurors weren't poking around in places they had no right to be, he rushed off to St Mungo's.

Lucius found Severus had been rushed in for some emergency procedures, but he was directed to a waiting room where Narcissa, Hermione, Draco and Becky were all waiting. Even though when he left home, Hermione was trying to persuade Draco to stay at the manor, he wasn't surprised to see his son waiting for news of Severus.

"How is he?" he asked, sitting down next to Narcissa and taking her hand in hers.

"He'll live," Hermione replied.

"But?" Lucius questioned, sensing there was more she wasn't telling him.

"But his hands are in a bad way, as is the side of his face," Narcissa explained. "The healers have said that he only survived the explosion because he wasn't facing it head on."

"You saved his life," Lucius said, smiling at Becky.

"I didn't do anything," Becky replied in a whisper. "I couldn't help him."

"You did all you could," Hermione assured her employee. "You got help to him as quickly as possible. I'm sure when he's ready, he'll thank you himself."

"So what's the state of play at the office?" Draco asked his father as Hermione reassured Becky she'd done all she could for her boss. "Do we know what happened yet?"

"It's looking like it was deliberate," Lucius said.

"I thought it was an accident," Narcissa gasped. "Who would anyone want to blow Severus up?"

"He wasn't the target," Lucius said quietly.

"Me?" Hermione whispered, feeling sick as she realised the implications of what Lucius was saying. "The explosion was meant for me."

"Your name was on the envelope that exploded," Lucius confirmed. "Of course until the Ministry have ran their tests, we can't be sure exactly what happened, but I would bet my fortune on it being a deliberate letter bomb."

"I can't believe this," Hermione muttered. "Severus is in here because of me."

"No, he's in here because of whoever sent that letter," Draco insisted, taking hold of Hermione and turning her to face him. "This isn't your fault, Hermione."

"It's payback," Hermione whispered.

"For Potter and Weasley?" Draco asked.

"What else?" Hermione returned. "It's too much of a coincidence that it happens just days after they're killed."

"But didn't your friends say you would be safe?" Narcissa questioned.

"I don't believe Neville and the twins were involved," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "Obviously Harry and Ron had more support than I thought. Someone's carrying on from where they left off."

"But who?" Lucius mused.

"It could be anyone," Hermione admitted sadly.

She'd been prepared for months to deal with Harry and Ron, but truth be told, she'd thought that no-one else would be interested in coming after her. But clearly somewhere, there was someone else who hated her just as much as Harry and Ron had done, and she fully intended to find them and deal with them. She wasn't going to let anyone get away with hurting the people she loved, and whoever had blown up Severus was going to regret the day they ever sent their letter bomb.


	28. Chapter 28

Hermione walked slowly through the atrium of the Ministry of Magic, Draco on one side and Lucius on the other. Part of the reason they were walking slowly was because Draco hadn't yet fully healed from his kidnapping ordeal, but another reason was so that the people in the Ministry could see Draco's injuries first hand. There'd been plenty of reports about how Draco had suffered at the hands of Harry and Ron, but Lucius had reminded his son that it wouldn't hurt to show his injuries in person. Especially today of all days.

The reason the trio were at the Ministry was to attend the official hearing into Harry and Ron's deaths. Of course they knew the result, and the days proceedings were purely for show and had to be done according to the law. But Hermione had insisted on attending for two reasons. Firstly, she wanted to be there when her and Draco were official cleared of any wrong doing. Secondly, she wanted to hear exactly what would be said about their wands, and if anyone would make the connection to the powerful magic used in the break-in at The Hog's Head. But thirdly, and most importantly, Hermione was hoping that someone at the hearing would say and do something to reveal themselves as her enemy. She was still out to find who had sent the letter bomb which had hurt Severus so badly.

It had been a few days since Severus had been blown up, and he was still in hospital. The entire left hand side of his face was heavily scarred, he'd lost his hearing in his left ear and his hands were so badly burnt that the healers weren't even sure their most advanced treatment would help him. There was a very good chance that Severus would never have the same dexterity in his hands, and there would be a lot of things he would be no longer able to manage.

Fortunately he was coping with his injuries better than anyone had hoped, and he wasn't letting it get him down. Even so, they tried to make sure there was someone with him as often as possible, which was why Narcissa wasn't with them to attend the hearing. She was as St Mungo's with Severus, and she was there with the intention of persuading Severus to stay at the manor for a while when he was discharged.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked her as they entered the golden lifts at the far side of the atrium.

"I'm fine," Hermione replied, shooting her fiancé a reassuring smile.

"Really? You seem like you're miles away," Draco remarked. "You're not worrying about the hearing, are you?"

"Of course not," Hermione answered. "We know the outcome anyway. It's going to be declared as death by misadventure. It's also going to be made perfectly clear that if they had survived, Harry and Ron would be criminals and would have been convicted for their crimes."

"And you're not worried about the investigation into our wands?" Draco checked. He'd fully co-operated with the Ministry as far as his wand went, even though it hadn't sat right with him, and he had to admit he was slightly worried that their findings might make people take a closer look at him and Hermione.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Hermione replied. "Besides, if anything it might make certain people realise how dangerous we have the potential to be."

"By certain people, you mean whoever sent the letter bomb?" Draco checked.

"Yes," Hermione confirmed with a nod. "I hope we get a chance to see either Tonks or Kingsley. I want to ask if they've got any news yet."

"It could be a bit early for that," Lucius remarked from behind the couple. "I personally spoke to Fudge and insisted he ran every possible test on the remaining pieces of the letter. If there's a clue as to who sent it, I want it found. However, to do these tests right, it takes time. We don't them to rush and miss vital evidence, do we?"

"I guess not," Hermione conceded as the lift stopped and they stepped out into the department of mysteries, where the hearing would be held.

Lucius led the way to the hearing room, which was located down a long corridor. When they entered the room, the Ministry officials who would be declaring the final verdict, were situated along a long table at the front of the room, with Fudge sitting in the head position in the centre of the table. The table in front of them was set up for witnesses and lining the walls were chairs for the people wanting to hear the outcome of the hearing. Several chairs were also occupied, including a healthy smattering of press, but Lucius managed to find them three chairs with a front row seat to the action.

Shortly after the threesome had taken their seats, the door to the hearing room opened and the Weasley twins entered with their two eldest brothers and Ginny. The twins gave Hermione small smiles, which Hermione returned, and even Bill and Charlie acknowledged her with a tilt of their heads. However, Ginny blatantly ignored her and when she sat down in between Bill and Charlie, she had an ugly scowl on her face.

"Have you seen that?" Hermione whispered to Draco.

"What? The Weasleys?" Draco questioned. "I did sort of expect some presence from them. I also expected Potter's mother to show up."

"Tonks did say Lily wasn't taking Harry's death very well," Hermione replied. "To be honest, I didn't expect her to show, or Molly. Or Arthur come to that."

"But you did expect some Weasleys?" Draco checked.

"I did," Hermione confirmed with a nod. "But I was referring to the scowl on Ginny's face. Is it just me or does she look angry?"

"Considering we're at a hearing about her brother's death, I think anger is an expected emotion," Draco replied.

"But is she angry enough to send a letter bomb?" Hermione mused. "Does she blame me for Ron's death?"

"I guess we'll find out when we're cleared," Draco said, making a mental note to keep an eye on Ginny's reactions when the hearing got under-way.

Hermione also made the same vow, and she kept an eye on Ginny and her reactions as the hearing began. After Fudge had outlined the reason for the hearing, he called for Kingsley and Tonks as the investigating Aurors. For half an hour the two Aurors detailed their case, how they'd investigated it and the conclusions they'd drawn. They also read out witness statements from Draco, Hermione and everyone else who had officially been at the cottage when Harry and Ron had died.

A couple of times, Hermione caught Ginny shaking her head at something the Aurors were saying, but she wasn't sure if it was because she was disagreeing with what was being said, or if she was merely regretting the rash action Ron and Harry had taken. It was certainly looking as though she wasn't on the same page as her brothers as far as Hermione's innocence was concerned, but Hermione wasn't sure that it made her the sender of the letter bomb. After all, even if Ginny did blame her for Harry and Ron's deaths, it didn't mean she'd retaliated and tried to kill her.

Once Kingsley and Tonks had finished their statements, Mr Ollivander was called to the stand to discuss the powerful magic which had caused the cottage collapse. Even though she was fairly confident nothing Ollivander could say would hurt her and Draco, Hermione was still slightly nervous as the wand-maker settled down at the witness table, and she allowed her attention to drift away from Ginny and focus on the elderly wizard who had made her and Draco's wand.

"Mr Ollivander, is it true you have examined the wands of Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy?" Fudge began.

"At the Ministry's behest, I have," Ollivander replied. "Not that I needed to examine them. I made both wands, so I know everything about them."

"Surely you made these wands years ago," Fudge pointed out. "Can you remember every wand you've ever made?"

"Most of them, but I certainly remember the special ones," Ollivander replied.

"And what is so special about the wands of Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy?" Fudge asked.

"Their cores are golden eagle feathers, more specifically feathers from a mating pair," Ollivander explained. "Their wands are designed to work in harmony together."

"In what way?" Fudge asked.

"Their wands are fundamentally connected," Ollivander replied. "One wand will respond to the other and come to the aid of it's partner. Often the response is involuntary, and all of the wands doing."

"You also examined the evidence at the crime scene, did you not?" Fudge asked.

"I did," Ollivander confirmed.

"And what did you conclude in relation to the wands of Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy?"

"I concluded that the wands reacted together to protect their owners," Ollivander answered. "The result amplified the effects of the spell cast by Miss Granger."

"Was it deliberate?" Fudge asked.

"You would have to ask Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy that," Ollivander answered with a small smile. "But I would say that unless they were already aware of their wands connection and had been practising harnessing their magic, I would say it was an involuntary act and neither of them could have predicted the extent of the damage they could cause."

"And were Miss Granger or Mr Malfoy aware of this connection of their wands?" Fudge asked.

"Again you would have to ask them, but no-one has ever come to me asking questions about their wands," Ollivander replied. "And if I had a question about my wand, the first place I would go would be to the wizard who made it."

"So this joint use of magic was accidental," Fudge clarified.

"In my humble opinion," Ollivander replied with a nod of his head. "Of course now they are aware of the connection I'm sure Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy could work on unifying their magic and becoming an unstoppable force, but that is not the case here. This was an unfortunate incident, but neither Miss Granger or Mr Malfoy can be blamed for the force of their magic. There's a good chance it wouldn't even have been so strong if they hadn't feared for their lives."

"Thank you Mr Ollivander," Fudge said, dismissing the wand-maker.

Following Ollivander's evidence, Hermione once again let her attention drift back to Ginny as the last few bits of evidence was heard and the summation was started. Rather than looking angry, Ginny now looked thoughtful and Hermione could all-but see the cogs of her brain whirring. When Ginny suddenly glanced her way and their eyes met, Hermione saw understanding glistening in their depths. She was in do doubt that Ginny had connected the dots that others had failed to do, and realised that not only were her and Draco behind the break-in at The Hog's Head, but they also had full control of their duel magic. Returning the stare, Hermione allowed some of the ruthlessness she was capable show in her expression, just reminding the redhead that it would be unwise to mess with her. The look seemed to have it's desired result as Hermione noticed the way Ginny shivered slightly, as though someone had poured ice cold water down her back, before she averted her gaze.

Hermione's attention then returned to the final summation before a short break was called for the verdict to be considered. Since everyone knew the result had already been decided and the break was a mere formality, no-one left the hearing room.

"What do you think?" Hermione whispered to Draco. "Have you been watching her?"

"I have," Draco replied. "And I think she's dangerous."

"You think she sent the letter bomb?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know about that," Draco admitted. "But I was watching her as Ollivander was talking. She was putting everything together, and I would bet that she believes we can already work together when it comes to our magic."

"But she can't prove it," Hermione countered. "Ollivander has just gone on record as saying out magic was accidental. As far as everyone is concerned, we're just learning about our wands connection."

"She could cause problems if she's as bullheaded as that idiot brother of hers was," Draco warned.

"Let's be careful and keep and eye on her," Hermione decided. "You're right, she might be dangerous, but I think she would need someone's help if she was to really cause us problems. On her own, she's pretty harmless."

"Then let's hope she never finds anyone to support her," Draco muttered as the hearing was called back in session.

Rising to his feet, Fudge delivered the verdict that was expected. He declared Harry and Ron's deaths as death by misadventure, and went on to reiterate that they would be alive today if they hadn't committed a criminal act. He also officially cleared Hermione and Draco of any wrong-doing and announced that no charges would be brought against either one.

"At least that's out of the way," Lucius remarked as they got to their feet. "If you two are okay on your own, I want to have a quick word with Fudge. And I'll ask about the letter bomb case, Athena."

Thanking Lucius, Hermione and Draco left the hearing room and headed back towards the atrium. They didn't manage to get into the same lift as the Weasleys, but when they arrived in the atrium, they found Fred and George had waited for them. After assuring Hermione that they held no grudges in regards to the outcome of the hearing, they arranged to have a business meeting to sort out the investment Hermione had promised them. Hermione then headed home with Draco, quite content with how the day had gone. However, she didn't yet realise that Ginny was more of a danger than she or Draco had given her credit for, and she was far from finished with Athena.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N – Good news people, I can finally give you a definite number of chapters this story will have. I now only have the epilogue to write and when I do that will put this story at 36 chapters in total, so the end is fast approaching.**

* * *

Trapped in Azkaban, Sirius Black was left with a lot of time on his hands, and the opportunity to see certain matters in a new light. Thanks to the papers he was allowed daily, he knew everything that had happened in the wizarding world since his incarceration, and he had his own theories on who was to blame for the fact the Order's lives had been torn apart so brutally.

When he'd first arrived in Azkaban, Sirius had been sure that it had been a genuine mistake and he would soon be freed. After all, he'd done nothing wrong and the crime he'd been arrested for wasn't anything to do with him. However, he quickly discovered that things weren't as simple as he'd thought, and despite being innocent he'd been unable to prove it.

With a long sentence stretching ahead of him, Sirius had given serious thought to who could have ensured he'd been locked up for a crime he hadn't committed. At the time the Death Eater attacks had been ongoing for some months, and following James's untimely death, it hadn't taken a big leap to decide that the two matters were connected. Especially given the fact that an affair had been invented for James, as Sirius refused to believe his best friend would have betrayed Lily in such a way.

To kill James, make it look like he'd been having an affair, and then frame Sirius for the attempted murder of the so-called mistress took serious work and considerable influence in the wizarding world, and Sirius's first thought had been Lucius Malfoy. Of all the Death Eaters he was the one most capable of pulling off such a stunt, but Sirius didn't have a shred of proof. All he had was a suspicion, and given where he'd ended up he knew no-one would believe him. Or at least no-one at the Ministry, and to be released, it was the Ministry he'd needed to get on-side.

So with no proof, Sirius had been left to rot in Azkaban as the Death Eater attacks continued. As they did so, he'd began to wonder about what had started them up again. For years they'd been quiet, but now not only were they back, but they were asking for a supposed dead girl. Athena was clearly the key to the Death Eaters resurgence, but why after so many years did they suddenly realise she was alive?

The question had bugged Sirius right up until graduation. The second he'd read about events at graduation, and the memories that had been shown at the ceremony, he knew why the Death Eaters had returned. Someone had told them that Athena was still alive, and given the memory they had access to, it was one of the four people involved the night Voldemort and his wife were killed.

Sirius knew he hadn't told a sole about that evening, and he was just as sure that James wouldn't have done so either. It was true both he and James had liked to speak about their part in Voldemort's downfall, but they never would have given anyone access to the memory that revealed that James had been the one to kill Voldemort's wife. He also couldn't see Dumbledore revealing the truth as he was also shown to have killed in cold blood. Which left Arthur as the only person who could possibly have betrayed them.

At first Sirius had struggled to believe that Arthur would have betrayed the secrets of what had happened the night Voldemort died, but it was the only option that made sense. And it was especially telling that of the four wizards featured in the memories, he was the only one with his freedom and life. James was dead, Sirius was stuck in Azkaban, Dumbledore was dead, and even if he hadn't been, he would have been in Azkaban along with Sirius. Yet Arthur was still free, and while he had been involved in a pretty serious Death Eater attack and badly hurt, he also still had his life. There was no denying that he'd come out of things far better than any of the others, so Sirius was left with no choice to accept that Arthur had been the cause of their secrets being exposed.

However, Sirius wasn't sure if Arthur had revealed their secrets deliberately, or if he'd been tricked into doing so. Although no matter how the memories had leaked out, Sirius was confident that Arthur had nothing to do with the Death Eater attacks and other incidents. In Sirius's mind it had become even clearer that everything else that had happened was the work of Lucius Malfoy. He'd been the one to come into possession of the truth, and he'd been the one who had manipulated events and ensured that the truth was revealed in the most public of ways.

Given the fact that Hermione had publically turned to the Malfoys in light of events at gradation, and once she was with them the Death Eater attacks had mysteriously stopped, Sirius felt it was the proof the wider wizarding world had been waiting for. After all, how could they deny Lucius was behind the attacks when they stopped the moment Hermione went to live at the manor with his family? But deny it they seemed to do as even though Sirius waited with baited breath, not even a whisper of blame was apportioned to Lucius. It was as though the Death Eater attacks had stopped and no-one was interested in working out who had been behind them in the first place.

In fact from what Sirius could see, no-one was interested in anything but seeing Dumbledore arrested and punished for what had happened to Hermione as a child. James's murder had been forgotten about, along with the Death Eater attacks, and it was suddenly the Order who were the villains in Wizarding Britain. Sirius was just relieved that the Ministry never went after Lily and the rest of the Order, or even pressed extra charges against him. Although he did know that Lily and Molly had been given community service, and just recently Arthur had been given a very lenient punishment, with the worst thing to happen was for him to lose his job at the Ministry. As for the rest of the Order, they'd escaped punishment, but Sirius suspected it was only because the Ministry wanted to sweep the entire thing under the carpet and carry on as though nothing had happened.

Although from what Sirius had seen the Ministry were good at sweeping issues under the carpet, as they'd seemingly done when it was revealed that Voldemort wasn't dead. Sirius had to admit the news had totally blown him away, and made him furious at Dumbledore for deceiving them. But more importantly he'd been terrified for what the news would mean for Harry, Lily and Remus. With James gone they were the only three people in the world he truly loved, and Sirius felt impotent stuck in Azkaban unable to help and protect them.

However, after the initial reveal that Voldemort was back the Ministry had swept into action and denied everything. To be honest Sirius wasn't too surprised by the Ministry's stance as in his opinion Fudge had the backbone of a worm and was too friendly with Lucius Malfoy. However, Sirius was taken aback by the amount of articles in the press discrediting Voldemort's return, and he was totally stunned when no counter claim was made by the Order. From where Sirius was sitting they'd just gave up when their claims were denied. They didn't fight to prove they were right, and they certainly didn't fight to make sure the world was prepared for Voldemort's inevitable return.

However, Sirius didn't have long to ponder on the way the Order was handling things as one unsuspecting morning his world, and heart, had shattered when he read in the paper that his beloved godson had been killed. Although as if it wasn't bad enough that Harry had been killed alongside Ron, it soon transpired that the Ministry were blaming the pair for their own downfall. Despite his grief, Sirius could see that Harry and Ron had acted rashly in kidnapping Draco and trying to force him to confess that he and Lucius had been behind everything. But they still didn't deserve the treatment they were receiving, or the fact they were being blamed for their own deaths.

By the time the official hearing had been heard, Sirius knew what the outcome would be, so he wasn't the slightest bit surprised to read that no-one was going to be held accountable for their deaths. And yet again, they were themselves being blamed for causing their own deaths. The insistency of the Ministry that Harry and Ron were responsible for their own demises seemed cruel and unnecessary to Sirius, and he could only imagine how the claims were making it even harder for Lily and Molly to come to terms with their losses.

The second Sirius had learnt of Harry's death, he sent a letter to Remus, begging his best friend to find a way for him to say goodbye to his godson. At first it had looked as though nothing was going to happen, but at the last moment, Sirius had been given permission to attend Harry's funeral, along with an Auror guard. Sirius had hoped the guard would be one of the Aurors he knew, like Kingsley, Tonks or Frank, but on the afternoon of Harry's funeral, it was a complete stranger who turned up at Azkaban to accompany him to Harry's funeral.

"Don't try anything Black," the Auror warned as they prepared to leave Azkaban. "If you so much as look at me the wrong way, I'll have you back here so fast your head will be spinning," he warned as he clapped a couple of magical cuffs around Sirius's wrists. "And don't try any canine tricks either, as one of these cuffs will stop you from changing shape."

"I'm not going to do anything," Sirius said quietly. "All I want to do is go and say goodbye to my godson and comfort my devastated friend."

Despite Sirius's words the Auror still insisted on giving him a lecture before he finally grabbed hold of his arm and roughly apparated them away from the dark and dreary prison. Despite never being a fan of side-along apparition, Sirius wasn't at all perturbed by the motion as he was just so pleased to be free and to be able to breath fresh air again. However, he didn't have much time to enjoy his freedom as they landed in the graveyard at Godric's Hollow and Sirius was immediately hit with a sense of loss as he saw people arriving to take their place in the chapel.

"Are you going to be by my side all afternoon?" Sirius asked the Auror.

"I won't stick right at your side, but I will always be close," the Auror replied. "Just remember what I said about trying anything. You can't transform into your animagi form, nor can you do magic with those cuffs I placed on you. If you try something, I won't hesitate to bring you down, funeral or not."

With a sharp nod, Sirius turned away from the Auror and looked around for either Lily or Remus. While he didn't see any sign of Lily, he quickly located Remus at the chapel door, greeting the mourners as they arrived. When Remus spotted him, he whispered something to Tonks, who had been standing beside him and abandoned his job as he made his way towards his old friend.

"Sirius," he greeted sombrely as the two men embraced. "I'm pleased you're here."

"Thanks to you," Sirius replied. "How did you mange it?"

"I didn't, it was Tonks," Remus admitted. "She personally vouched for you to the Minister himself, Sirius, so please don't blow this. If you cause trouble, she'll be the one who suffers."

"I'm not going to cause trouble," Sirius vowed. "I wouldn't do that to Lily. Speaking of which, where is she and how's she holding up?"

"She's already in the chapel with Alice," Remus replied. "And she's in a hell of a mess, Sirius. At the moment she's only up and about because the healers are dosing her with all sorts of potions to help her cope. I dread to think what will happen when they stop giving her the potions. With both James and Harry gone, she's lost."

"I just wish I could be there for her," Sirius sighed. "Instead I'm stuck in that bloody awful place for something I didn't do."

"We've tried Sirius, we can't prove your innocence," Remus said softly. He also wished his best friend was around, but it had been hard enough just to win him his freedom for the afternoon.

"What you need to do is go after Lucius Malfoy," Sirius advised. "He's behind this, Remus. He's behind everything."

"Now you sound like Harry," Remus snorted. "He was convinced Lucius and Draco were behind everything. But instead of just letting it go, he jumped in and look at the mess he and Ron ended up in."

"I don't mean kidnap Malfoy," Sirius said. "I mean find a way to prove he was behind everything. He got those memories from Arthur, and that triggered everything."

"Arthur?" Remus frowned. "What does Arthur have to do with this?"

"Those memories at graduation had to come from somewhere," Sirius pointed out. "I didn't see them, but it sounded as though they were from Voldemort's house, and there was only the four of us in there. One of us had to have provided the memories. I know I didn't, and I know James didn't either. I also can't see Dumbledore being that careless. I'm not saying Arthur did it deliberately, but somehow Lucius got hold of the memories and everything that happened after that is a result of that. Once he knew Athena was alive he set out to find her. He was behind the Death Eater attacks, Remus."

"That can't be proven," Remus warned his friend. "The Ministry investigated, and I know for a fact they looked at Lucius. He had alibis for several of the attacks. I'm not saying he wasn't behind the attacks, but if he was, he'd made it impossible to prove."

"And what about the fact the attacks stopped the second he convicted Hermione to go with him?" Sirius demanded. "Does no-one think it's strange that for almost a year there was Death Eater attacks, all aimed at alerting the world to Athena's existence and with that warning that the dark wanted her back. Then the second she's with the Malfoys, the attacks stop."

"You could say the attacks stopped the second the truth came out," Remus argued. "Anyone could have been behind it, and once the truth was known, decided to stop as there was no need for them any more."

"You don't believe that any more than I do, Remus," Sirius scoffed.

"Maybe not, but I can't prove otherwise, and I'm not taking on the Malfoys," Remus said. "It would be a losing battle, Sirius. Sometimes you have to know when to call it a day. And I say we bury the past with Harry. Let today be the start of a fresh dawn."

"And what, leave Harry's death unavenged?" Sirius snorted. "James would be turning in his grave, Remus. His son was murdered, and you're just happy to let it go."

"Harry and Ron were killed accidentally," Remus argued. "Unless you're going to start on about how Hermione is a killer. And remember you've known her since she was eleven years old. You know she's not evil, Sirius."

"Maybe not, but the Malfoys sure are," Sirius retorted. "They could have corrupted her."

"And if they have we no-one to blame but ourselves," Remus retorted sharply. "Most of the Order agree that we never should have taken her in the first place, and we certainly all agree that we handled things badly when the attacks started."

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked with a frown.

"The second the Death Eaters mentioned Athena, we should have been honest with Hermione, Harry and Ron," Remus said. "We could have explained things to them all. Instead we let Harry and Ron build Athena into a monster in their minds, and we're all paying for it now. If they'd known who Hermione was, and the situation had been explained to them, they never would have turned on her and she never would have gone to the Malfoys. She would still be with us today, and so would Harry and Ron."

"Hindsight is a beautiful thing," Sirius remarked.

"It is," Remus agreed. "So let's not act hastily and do something that in time we come to regret. Today isn't about the Malfoys, Sirius. It's about Harry, and saying goodbye to him. Let's focus on Harry and Lily."

Nodding in agreement, Sirius linked arms with Remus as they headed towards the chapel, the Auror guarding him following close behind. In the chapel, Sirius sat down next to Lily and he held onto her as the funeral began and she found herself dealing with burying her son only months after doing the same to her husband. Not that Sirius found the afternoon any easier and he was a broken man by the time the service was over and they lowered Harry into the ground next to where his father was buried.


	30. Chapter 30

Aware that his time away from Azkaban was coming to an end, Sirius lingered at Harry's graveside. He'd been allowed to attend the funeral and burial of his godson, but his freedom didn't extend to attending the wake, which had been organised in the local pub as Lily was in no state to host any sort of gathering at her house. Even so, he was in no rush to return to Azkaban, so he remained at Harry's graveside as people slowly began to disperse. Aware that the Auror who was acting as his guard was watching him closely, Sirius continued to stare down at his godson's coffin, hardly able to believe that someone so young had lost their life.

"It's tragic, isn't it?" a soft voice said from beside him and Sirius turned his head to find Ginny had joined him, clutching two long stemmed roses, one red and one white.

"Yes, Harry didn't deserve this," Sirius agreed. "Nor did Ron."

"I think we may be the only people who think that," Ginny said with a slight snort. "Everyone else thinks they brought this on themselves. And yes, I agree they were foolish and didn't handle matters in the best way, but they didn't deserve to be killed."

"They didn't," Sirius agreed for a second time. "But we can't change what happened, Ginny."

"We can't, but we can avenge their deaths," Ginny said, lowering her voice so that no-one but Sirius could hear her. "Everyone thinks this should be the end. Everyone is happy to let Hermione and the Malfoys get away with murder. They all think we should draw a line under what's happened and forget about everything."

"But you don't?" Sirius asked, rather impressed by Ginny's fire.

"No, I think we should make them suffer the way they've made us suffer," Ginny replied.

"And who is this we?" Sirius questioned. "From what I can see, and from what I've heard, you're very much the lone voice, Ginny. Do you have any support?"

"No, but that's where you come in," Ginny replied with a sly smirk.

"I hate to disappoint you, but I'm rather indisposed these days," Sirius remarked, gesturing to the magical cuffs that decorated his wrists.

"But if you were free, would you help me?" Ginny asked. "Would you help me bring down Hermione and the Malfoys?"

Sirius wasn't quite sure if he thought Hermione should be targeted, but the temptation to bring down the Malfoys was strong. Although since he hadn't been around, Ginny might know something about Hermione that he wasn't aware of. For all he knew she could be just as big of a threat as the Malfoys these days, and if that was the case, she needed dealing with.

"I'm not free though, am I?" Sirius finally replied.

"I could help," Ginny offered, giving Sirius another devious smirk.

"How can you help?" Sirius questioned with an amused chuckle. "These cuffs stop me using magic, and prevent me from making use of my animagus form. And in case you haven't noticed him, I've got a guard watching my every move, so running isn't an option either."

"I have the means for your escape right here," Ginny muttered as she stepped forward and threw the red rose onto Harry's grave. Turning back to Sirius, she offered him the white rose. "It's a port-key," she whispered. "It will activate in under five minutes, and take you somewhere safe."

"If I just vanish, you'll be in trouble," Sirius remarked as he took the rose from Ginny. "I won't be able to live with myself if I'm free, and you merely take my place in Azkaban."

"I'm only in trouble if they work out how you got away," Ginny remarked with a slight shrug. "I can cause a distraction so big that even your Auror friend won't notice your vanishing act. By the time they realise you're gone, they won't have any idea how you got away."

"And if they trace me after I've gone?" Sirius asked. "For all I know these cuffs have tracing magic in them."

"Then we're going to have to work quick to get them off you," Ginny replied. "It's your choice, Sirius. If you don't want my help, throw the rose away."

"Let's see what sort of distraction you can come up with," Sirius decided, aware that if he didn't think Ginny's ruse was going to work, he could discard the rose before it whisked him away and got Ginny into trouble.

"Okay," Ginny said, a small smile flickering over her lips before her face morphed into one of fury and before Sirius knew it, she'd slapped him hard around the face. "You bastard," she screeched, grabbing everyone's attention in the graveyard. "I thought you would have been different. I thought you would have understood. But you're just as pathetic and cowardly as everyone else."

Still reeling from the unexpected blow, Sirius watched Ginny in amazement as she loudly started to berate the mourners for just accepting Harry and Ron's deaths without a fight. Very few people were spared her wrath, and she had harsh words for Remus and several other members of the Order. Even her brothers weren't spared, especially the twins, whom she branded traitors for letting Hermione invest in their business.

As Ginny predicted, everyone was watching her antics. However, Sirius was aware that the Auror who had escorted him from Azkaban was only half watching her. He was still well aware of where Sirius was, and if he made one wrong move he would be by his side in an instant. With a wave of disappointment, as he could now see that Ginny's plan hadn't worked quite as well as she'd hoped, Sirius turned back towards Harry's grave with the intention of discarding the rose Ginny had given him. However, before he'd had a chance to let go of the flower, Ginny had stormed over to the Auror and turned her wrath on him.

"And you're no better," she fumed, poking at the large man's chest. "You call yourself an Auror. You're pathetic. You're supposed to protect our world, but you lot do nothing. You're supposed to catch dark wizards and witches, yet The Dark Lord is out there with his daughter, and the Aurors make no move to stop him. You're all tainted. Hell, I bet you've even been bribed to turn a blind eye to the Malfoys actions."

While Ginny's earlier display hadn't totally distracted the Auror, her personal attack on him, did the trick. For the first time since they'd left Azkaban, Sirius didn't have the Auror's stern gaze on him. And so as the Auror tried to get away from a fuming and ranting Ginny, Sirius vanished from the graveyard as the port key activated. And thanks to the distraction Ginny was causing not one person noticed that he'd gone for several minutes.

* * *

 _ **G.O.V.**_

* * *

Unaware of the drama that was unfolding at Harry's funeral, Hermione was curled up in the library at Malfoy Manor in contemplative mood. She was well aware that it was Harry's funeral, and that Ron had been buried the day before, and truth by told the two funerals had hit her harder than she'd expected. Hermione couldn't deny that she felt safer now Harry and Ron were no longer an issue, as she'd already accepted that as long as they'd lived they would have posed a threat to the people she loved. You never know, they might even have somehow proved her father was alive and rallied people against her family. And while all that had been prevented with their deaths, it didn't stop Hermione from wishing that things had been different.

She would have been just as content if following graduation Harry and Ron had been able to leave her alone and get on with their lives. They'd certainly had the opportunity, and it would have been so easy for them to just walk away and never give her a second thought. But her former friends had been unable to do that, and in the end it had come down to a choice between them and Hermione. From the moment it became clear that they weren't going to leave her alone, Hermione had known she would have to take them out, and that was exactly what she'd done. As much as she'd once cared for Harry and Ron, there really had been no choice when they'd targeted the people she loved. Hermione would do anything for the people she loved, and sadly for Harry and Ron, she hadn't loved either of them for a long time.

Although now they were gone, Hermione couldn't help but wonder if things could have gone differently once she'd discovered the truth of who she was. Would they still have reacted so badly if instead of keeping her secret, she'd chosen to confide in her friends? If she'd been honest with them, would they still have turned on her, or would they have stood by her and seen her as the victim she truly was? Or what if the Order had chosen to be more honest? What if when Lucius had started the Death Eater attacks, they'd sat them down and explained the truth? Would that have changed anything? Would Harry and Ron have still hated her if they'd known all along that she was Athena Riddle, or had their hatred for her grown because for months she'd been nothing but a shadowy figure to them?

The truth was, Hermione would never know how things might have played out if either she or the Order had handled things differently, and she could torture herself for hours going over all the different ways she could have reacted. The past couldn't be changed, and she wasn't achieving anything by sitting around, rewriting history in her head. She'd reacted how she had, and done the things she had, and Harry and Ron had reacted the way they had and put themselves on the path of her enemies. Yes, things very easily could have been different, but they weren't. It was what it was, and Hermione accepted the choices she'd made and the path she'd gone down.

With determination, Hermione rose to her feet and taking a few deep breaths she cleared her head of all thoughts of Harry and Ron. They were in the past now, and Hermione was not going to waste one more second dwelling on them. She had a future to look forward to, and a wedding to plan.

Leaving the library with the intention of finding Narcissa, and asking her if she would help her start planning the wedding, Hermione almost ran head first into Severus. To no-one's surprise, Narcissa had convinced him to move into the manor while he was convalescing. Fortunately, he was doing pretty well and was already up and around. The left hand side of his face was still badly scarred, and his hands were kept wrapped in bandages to prevent further damage coming to them.

"Sorry," Hermione apologised, making sure she wasn't standing on Severus's left side, as he had no hearing in that ear.

"Why are you in such a rush?" Severus asked.

"I was going to find Narcissa and see if she wanted to start wedding planning," Hermione replied.

"I think she went out," Severus replied. "Bella and Rodolphus arrived this morning. Rodolphus is with your father, but I think Narcissa and Bella went out shopping."

"It doesn't matter, it'll keep," Hermione said with a shrug. "Why aren't you with father and Rodolphus?"

"I'm not in the mood," Severus muttered.

"You're not hiding, are you?" Hermione checked with a frown.

"Now why would I want to hide this face," Severus sneered, gesturing to the scars that marred the skin on the left hand side of his face.

"It's only temporary, Severus," Hermione said gently. "The healers are confident that once you've fully recovered from the attack, they'll be able to treat the scars."

"It won't remove them fully though," Severus muttered. "I will always be marked."

"I'm sorry," Hermione whispered.

"It is not your fault," Severus assured her. He knew Hermione blamed herself since the letter bomb was addressed to her, but he blamed the coward who had mailed it. "And don't listen to me, I'm just feeling sorry for myself."

"There's no need," Hermione said. "Even with a few scars, you're still a handsome wizard."

"I am not handsome," Severus snorted.

"Becky certainly thinks so," Hermione teased. Even before the letter bomb attack, it hadn't escaped her notice that Severus's young assistant had a crush on him.

"She does?" Severus queried, looking genuinely shocked by the revelation.

"Severus, you are so blind," Hermione chuckled. "She's fancied you since the day we hired her. And before you say that this will change things, then you're wrong. She still looked at you in the same way when you were in hospital. A few scars won't change how she feels about you."

"But it's not just a few scars is it?" Severus sighed. "Even if my face can be helped, there is no help for my hands. They're ruined. And unless I undergo a risky procedure, I won't hear again in my left ear."

"You've still got your right ear, you don't need two anyway," Hermione said lightly. "And as for your hands, you know we are doing all we can to help you. I promise you, that I will do everything in my power to help you. I know I can't make things right, but I can try to make things easier."

"You've got a big heart, Athena," Severus said, bestowing Hermione with a rare smile. "You're quite a rare combination."

"How?" Hermione frowned, not understanding what Severus meant.

"There's a darkness in your soul that can rival your father's," Severus explained. "You're ruthless and not afraid to take what you want by force. But on the other hand, you love so very deeply and you would lay your life on the line for someone you love. A lot of people lose the ability to love when they truly allow the darkness to seep into their soul."

"Surely you would only lose the ability to love, if you had no-one to love," Hermione countered. "It doesn't matter how dark my actions have been, love has always been at the root of my decision making. I got revenge on the Order, because of the love I felt for my parents. Harry and Ron are dead because of the love I have for Draco. And whoever did this to you, is also dead because I love you, and I won't stand for anyone hurting the people I love."

"As I said, such a rare combination," Severus chuckled. "Why don't we take a stroll around the gardens. The healers said I needed fresh air, and Narcissa isn't around to check I'm not overdoing things."

"I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on you instead," Hermione retorted with a cheeky grin as she slipped her arm through Severus's and the pair headed out into the vast gardens of Malfoy Manor.

Half an hour later they were resting on a bench beside the picturesque duck pond when Draco suddenly appeared, looking agitated. Earlier that day, Draco had gone to the Ministry of Magic with Lucius. While Lucius had an appointment with the Minister, his third in as many days, all at the Minister's request, Draco had been hoping to find out if the investigation into who had sent the letter bomb was progressing. Instantly Hermione feared the worst, and braced herself for whatever bad news her fiancé was bringing her.

"What is it?" she asked in a hoarse voice. "What's wrong?"

"You're never going to believe this, but Sirius bloody Black has escaped," Draco announced.

"From Azkaban?" Severus questioned in shock.

"No, some bleeding heart at the Ministry sanctioned his temporary release to attend Potter's funeral today," Draco explained.

"Which fool did that?" Hermione exploded. "And why didn't we know about it? Why didn't the Minister tell Lucius? They've certainly been having enough meeting lately."

"I got the impression Fudge didn't know about it," Draco said. "Father said their meeting was interrupted to bring him the news, and he didn't seem to realise that Black was out for the day."

"And just how did he escape?" Severus asked. "I take it the Ministry weren't so lax that he was just allowed to wander free on his own."

"He had an Auror guard with him, and cuffs to prevent him from using magic or utilising his animagi form," Draco replied. "Father didn't know all the details when he passed them onto me. All he knew was that Black had vanished during an altercation at the graveyard."

"An altercation?" Hermione queried, a worrying feeling building in the pit of her stomach. "What sort of altercation?"

"The Weaselette caused a fuss," Draco answered. "She was screaming and shouting at people. She even lashed out at the Auror looking after Black."

"That is not an altercation, that is a sodding distraction," Hermione hissed. "I don't believe this. We underestimated the bitch. We thought she had no support, but now she does."

"You think her and Black have joined forces?" Draco asked.

"I do," Hermione replied with a thoughtful nod of her head. "And I think we need to be prepared. We are going to put Sirius back in Azkaban, and little Ginny can bloody well go with him."

"And what if it's not that simple?" Draco asked.

"Then we kill them," Hermione replied coldly. "This is it, I've had enough. This stops now. Either we end this rebellion with Sirius and Ginny, or else I will follow the prophecy's lead and wage a war on the wizarding world and take it over. I swear this is the last time someone is going to come after me and my family."

Bubbling with fury, Hermione stalked back to the manor, with Draco and Severus following on her heels. Yet again the Order had pushed Hermione when it wasn't necessary, and yet again they would suffer the consequences. When would they learn that everything that came their way was all of their own making? If only they'd left Hermione alone, then she wouldn't have to retaliate time and time again. Why couldn't they see that if they left Hermione alone they could all live in peace? Instead they continued to push, and with each incident they stoked the fires of darkness in Hermione's soul.


	31. Chapter 31

Sirius hadn't been sure what to expect when he'd accepted Ginny's offer to help him escape. Part of him thought the port-key might fail, or even if it worked, he worried he would be found within a few hours. However, everything seemed to have ran smoothly and Ginny had obviously put a lot of thought into her plan.

The port-key had delivered Sirius to a small shed like building with only one small window, through which he could see the sails of a nearby windmill. Inside the shed was an array of food and bottled water, and several blankets. There was also a pair of strange metal tools, possibly muggle in origin, which were rather like crabs pincers with handles, and which Sirius used to break the shackled on his wrists. And finally there was a note from Ginny, telling him to stay put and she would be with him when it was safe.

Once he was free of the shackles, Sirius had debated leaving and surviving on his own as the last thing he wanted was for Ginny to get into trouble. But in the end he decided to wait for Ginny, just to see how things stood in the outside world. Because without Ginny it was going to be hard to know what was happening, as he suspected even his animagi form would soon be well known around the country and he would be spotted the instant he left the safety of the shed.

In the end Sirius was waiting several days before he heard someone moving around outside of the shed. Not sure if it was Ginny, or the Ministry come to arrest him, Sirius had crouched behind the door where he would be able to get a jump on whoever entered. Fortunately it was only Ginny who entered the shed and he rose from his crouched hiding place with a relieved sigh.

"Am I glad to see you," he confessed. "I as beginning to worry something had happened to you."

"Sorry it took me so long, but I had to be sure I wasn't been watched," Ginny replied. "I was questioned several times by the Ministry. They thought my little display at Harry's funeral was a distraction."

"Which it was," Sirius pointed out.

"But they can't prove that," Ginny retorted with a smirk. "Besides, when they spoke to my brothers they all confirmed I've been like that since Harry and Ron died. In the end, I think they decided I was just a delusional fool. But even so, I wanted to wait before coming to see you. I knew you would be safe here."

"And where exactly is here?" Sirius asked.

"We're in an old playhouse behind the Lovegood house," Ginny replied. "No-one had been here for years before I decided it would be the perfect hiding place for you."

"It's no good in the long term though," Sirius pointed out. "I can't live here indefinitely."

"No, just until we get rid of Hermione and the Malfoys," Ginny replied. "Once we get rid of them, we can prove everything we've been saying and you can get your pardon."

"You know I want rid of the Malfoys, but why do we need to get rid of Hermione as well?" Sirius asked. "She was a victim in all of this."

"I don't believe that," Ginny said with a stubborn shake of her head. "I believe she knew more than she ever let on. But that's not why we need to get rid of her now. We need to get rid of her because she killed Harry and Ron."

"Not deliberately," Sirius argued. "I read about the hearing, Ginny. She never set out to hurt them, let alone kill them."

"Yet she and Malfoy killed Harry and Ron due to the potency of their magic," Ginny whispered. "They're a danger to everyone, Sirius. They killed Harry and Ron without meaning to, do what do you think they can achieve if they set their mind to it?"

"What's the story with their magic?" Sirius asked. "The papers were pretty vague on this wand connection they've got."

"Basically any spell they cast is magnified if the other wand is present, and if they cast the same spell together, it'll be stronger. At the minute, it's supposed to be something they're just learning about. But think about what they could do if they worked on synchronising their magic."

"The prophecy," Sirius whispered. "This is what it was warning us about. With power like that, she would be unstoppable."

"Only with her dragon by her side," Ginny said. Obviously she'd known nothing about the prophecy when it was first made, but she knew all about it now, and knew the important elements. "So now do you see why we need to get rid of her?"

"I do," Sirius replied with a regretful nod of his head. It didn't quite sit right with him plotting against Hermione, but he could see that if they did nothing, she could be a threat to the entire wizarding world. "But we're going to have to be careful. Not only is she smart, but she's got the protection of the Malfoys."

"And the luck of the devil," Ginny snorted. "I've already tried to get to her, but it didn't work."

"What did you do?" Sirius asked.

"I sent a letter bomb, but she wasn't the one who opened it," Ginny admitted. "I got Snape instead."

"Did you hurt him?" Sirius asked eagerly, hoping that the wizard he'd long detested had been badly hurt by Ginny's schemes.

"He was in hospital for a while, and I think he's still got issues," Ginny replied with an unconcerned shrug. She'd never liked the former Potions Master, so she couldn't say she was too concerned if he'd been hurt in her attempts to get to Hermione.

"Let's hope they're bad issues," Sirius remarked. "But does that mean the Ministry are looking into the incident?"

"Yeah," Ginny admitted with a grimace. "But I'm sure they won't be able to pin the blame on me. I was careful."

"Let's hope you were careful enough," Sirius remarked. "Now do you have any idea on our next move? I'm assuming we're pushed for time, as you'll be heading back to school soon, won't you?"

"I'm not going back," Ginny said with a shake of her head. "My brothers tried to persuade me it was a mistake to quit school, but neither Mum or Dad are in a position to stop me. Dad never leaves the house unless he has to, and Mum's so broken up by Ron's death I didn't think she even realises I've left Hogwarts."

"So we can take our time and come up with a proper plan," Sirius said. "A plan that won't get me sent back to Azkaban, and get you a cell next to mine."

"As long as you can stay here, we've got time," Ginny confirmed. "And besides, the longer you're missing the more anxious Hermione and the Malfoys are getting. Not to mention You-Know-Who."

"Has there been any sign of him yet?" Sirius asked.

"Not yet, but I know he's out there," Ginny said. "I know most of the Order think Dumbledore was lying and there's no threat, but I don't believe that. I think You-Know-Who is playing us, and the moment we've totally let our guard down, he'll strike."

"I wonder if we can use Hermione to get him to break his cover," Sirius mused. "Because all we really need to do is prove he's back, and we'd have a ton of support. Think about it Ginny. Let's find a way to use Hermione to get her father to show himself."

Vowing to do just that, Ginny checked that Sirius had everything he needed, before she headed home before she was missed by her brothers. No-one in the family seriously thought she was involved in Sirius's escape, but she didn't want to arouse their curiosity as to where she was disappearing to. It was vital that Sirius remained hidden until they'd come up with a plan, and once again had the support of the Order and everyone who wanted to ensure that Hermione did not fulfil the prophecy and started to rule the world.

* * *

 _ **G.O.V.**_

* * *

"It's been almost a week and you still have no idea where he is, and how he even escaped in the first place," Hermione hissed at the Minister for Magic, not bothering to hide her anger. "This is a man who helped kidnap me as a child, Minister. He was complicit in the murders of my parents, and now he's somewhere out there, maybe even planning on coming after me."

"I can assure you that you are perfectly safe," Fudge insisted, shrinking back in his seat slightly in the face of such raw rage.

"Like I was safe when a letter bomb was delivered to my office and blew up my business partner?" Hermione snorted. "And tell me Minister, where are you on that investigation?"

"We found no trace as to who sent the letter," Fudge admitted. "They were very careful. But we're analysing the make-up of the explosive powder to determine if it was bought or home made. All is not lost, we can still track the sender of the letter bomb."

"I'm beginning to think this Ministry can't do anything," Hermione snorted in derision as she turned away from Fudge. She and Lucius were at the Ministry for an update, but she was finding it nigh on impossible to be calm and patient when inside her guts were churning with worry over what problems Sirius might bring to her door.

"There has been a lot of issues of incompetence lately," Lucius remarked mildly, from where he was standing leaning against the wall.

"I agree Lucius," Fudge said with a resigned sigh. "Which is why I feel it is time to do what we've been discussing lately."

"Now? In the middle of a national crisis?" Lucius questioned, arching a pale eyebrow at the Minister for Magic. "I'm sorry Cornelius, but you have to see this through. Black escaped on your watch, it's your duty to find him and return him to Azkaban."

"He's vanished without a trace," Fudge argued. "For all we know he's no longer in the country."

"I don't care where he is, I want him found," Hermione hissed. "And what about Ginny Weasley? How sure are you that she wasn't involved?"

"As sure as we can be," Fudge replied with a slight shrug. "She's just a girl who is grieving for her brother and taking her anger out on anyone she can find."

"Let's hope you're right, and that grief isn't a cover for something more sinister," Hermione remarked.

"It's not," Fudge confidently assured Hermione. "You really have nothing to fear. You are in no danger."

"Excuse me if I don't believe that Minister," Hermione said with a rueful shake of her head. "I've been in danger since the second my past was exposed, and I'm beginning to think that I was too lenient towards my old friends. I let my heart rule my head, when really I should have asked the Ministry to make sure you punished those involved in what happened to me."

"We did punish them," Fudge pointed out.

"Barely," Hermione snorted. "I hate to say it Minister, but your regime is seriously flawed. You can't protect people like me. I wasn't protected when I was a child, and I haven't been protected since the truth about my heritage emerged. I think it's time I took matters into my own hands."

"Don't do anything reckless," Fudge warned. "The law applies to you as well as to your former friends."

"I don't plan on breaking the law," Hermione replied. "I'm merely going to offer a reward on any information leading to the capture of Sirius Black. I take it the Ministry will look into any information my plea for help receives."

"Of course," Fudge said with a defeated nod. "I'm sorry we don't have better news."

"Me too," Hermione replied as she turned to Lucius. "I think we're done here."

"We are," Lucius agreed with a nod.

"I meant it Lucius, it's time," Fudge called as Hermione opened the door to his office.

"When you've recaptured Black," Lucius returned as he swept out of the office with Hermione.

Even though Hermione wanted to know what was going on, she waited until they'd left the Ministry and returned to the privacy of the manor to ask Lucius just what the Minister thought it was time for.

"Fudge wants to step down as Minister," Lucius informed her. "He's trying to persuade me to take his nomination. As the outgoing Minister, he has the ability to nominate someone he thinks would be a good successor. Of course it would still need to go to a vote, and other people could stand against me, but an endorsement from the Minister is very helpful."

"Wow," Hermione gasped. "Would you want to be Minister for Magic?"

"You mean would I want so much power?" Lucius questioned, flashing Hermione a devious smirk. "What do you think?"

"Why haven't you said something?" Hermione asked. "That's what these meetings over the last few weeks have been about, isn't it?"

"It is," Lucius confirmed. "And I hadn't said anything because I wanted the investigation into the letter bomb wrapped up before I put my name in the hat for future Minister. I didn't want to take over before the investigation was complete and then have claims that I've influenced the result. And now I think we should wait until this mess with Black is dealt with."

"Have you spoken to Narcissa about this?" Hermione questioned.

"We have talked about it," Lucius admitted. "I wanted her opinion on whether she thought Draco could cope with the family business if I went off to be Minister."

"Of course he could cope," Hermione replied. "And you would be a brilliant Minister."

"With hopefully an even better candidate to take over from me when I retire."

"You're thinking about retiring when you haven't even taken the job?" Hermione laughed.

"I'm thinking of the future," Lucius said. "And in the future, I see you as the Minister of Magic. I know your father would like that."

"Wow, that is something I've never considered," Hermione muttered, although she knew that now the idea was in her head it wouldn't be easy to dislodge.

"You would be ruling the world, and Draco would be right by your side," Lucius remarked with a smirk.

"Now that could be something that appeals," Hermione admitted. "But that's way in the future, and we've got enough to deal with here and now. I want Sirius found, Lucius. I wasn't worried about Ginny when I thought she was on her own and had no support, but no matter what Fudge says, I'm convinced she was involved in his escape. I can't risk the pair of them teaming up."

"I do actually have an idea," Lucius said. "I happen to know a wizard who could track them down."

"How?"

"He's not a normal wizard, he's a werewolf."

"Greyback," Hermione said, recalling the previous time they'd used the werewolves services to ensure that Arthur was hurt.

"If anyone can track them, he can," Lucius said.

"Do it," Hermione ordered. "And release some sort of public statement offering a reward for help tracking him down. We need to find him before he does something that changes how the world sees me."

"Nothing he can say will change how people see you," Lucius pointed out.

"No, but he could do something that forces me to react in a way I hadn't wanted to," Hermione countered. "He could be the trigger for the world seeing how dark I can truly be, and I don't want that Lucius. Not now you have a chance to become Minister. Let's get this settled in private, then you can replace Fudge and maybe in time I can take over."

"And rule the world," Lucius finished for her.

"And rule the world," Hermione agreed with a chuckle as she headed off to find Draco and bring him up to date with the fact his father might be the future Minister for Magic, and just maybe his future wife would also one day hold the position.


	32. Chapter 32

Nearly two weeks after Hermione had given Lucius permission to enlist Greyback to help in the search for Sirius, and a press release had offered a reward for anyone with information about the escaped wizard, they were still no nearer to finding him. It was as though he'd vanished off the face of the earth, and even though that meant nothing had happened and Hermione's worst fears of him working with Ginny hadn't been realised, it didn't mean she was happy. If anything the silence worried her even more and she was constantly on edge as she waited for news.

"You've inherited my lack of patience," Voldemort chuckled as he watched Hermione pacing in the garden of the manor. The pair were supposed to be enjoying some time together, especially as Voldemort's health was improving daily, but Hermione just couldn't relax. "I never did like waiting for news of an enemy."

"It might not have been so bad if I didn't fear the worst," Hermione muttered. "But I'm sure he's going to team up with Ginny."

"But yet you don't have any proof she was behind the letter bomb," Voldemort pointed out. "All you have is a feeling she's behind it based on the last time you saw her. But it could have just been that she blamed you for her brother's death, and was annoyed when the Ministry didn't come to that conclusion."

"All I have is feelings," Hermione confirmed. "And my knowledge of her. Don't forget we were friends for a lot of years. I know how she thinks, and while she was smarter than Ron and quicker to learn from her mistakes, she's still got Ron's temper and his rashness. I don't trust her. Do you not think I should trust my instinct?"

"I think you should always trust your instinct," Voldemort replied.

"And my instinct is telling me Ginny was behind the letter bomb, and that she and Sirius will team up, if they haven't already."

"And have you not checked her out?" Voldemort asked.

"I don't want to put a watch on her, as I don't want to alert her to the fact I'm onto her," Hermione admitted. "But I have subtly checked her out, and nothing seems to be amiss other than the fact she seems to have quit school. If she is working with Sirius, she's being careful about it."

"And has Greyback found no leads?" Voldemort questioned.

"No, he's found no trail of Sirius," Hermione replied with a sigh. "He keeps checking the people Sirius knows, hoping he'll catch scent of him, but there's never anything. Although I have told him to include Ginny in his rotation. If she is meeting Sirius, Greyback will eventually pick up on it. And then we'll have her."

"What do you intend to do once you have the proof you're so sure you're going to get?" Voldemort asked.

"I don't know, I guess I'll play it by ear. But I want to be careful. I can't stop thinking about the proposition Lucius has on the table."

"You mean his chance to become Minister, or your chance to do the job after him?" Voldemort asked with a smirk. He'd been thrilled to hear that Lucius was in line to become Minister for Magic, but it had been even more thrilling to think that his little girl could one day become the Minister and rule Wizarding Britain.

"Both, but more the latter," Hermione admitted. "You know I never wanted to rule the world like the prophecy said, but it's all I've been able to think about since Lucius told me about the Minister's position. Maybe that was all the prophecy was referring to, that one day I would be Minister for Magic."

"If the prophecy even exists," Voldemort snorted.

"You doubt the prophecy?" Hermione questioned as she sat back down next to her father, distracted from her pacing and worrying about Sirius and Ginny.

"Let's just say the timing of it's discovery is dubious," Voldemort replied. "I've spoken to Severus about the prophecy, and it seems Dumbledore came into possession of the prophecy after several failed attempts to convince the Order to attack me at home."

"You think he made the prophecy up to chivvy the Order into going along with his plan?" Hermione queried. It sounded crazy to think that someone would make a prophecy up just to get people to go along with something he wanted them to, but this was Dumbledore they were talking about and Hermione of all people knew just what the old headmaster had been capable of.

"I can see you also think it's a possibility," Voldemort remarked.

"I can now you've mentioned it," Hermione admitted. "But I've never questioned the prophecy before."

"You've never had reason to," Voldemort pointed out. "But I could be wrong, and it could be genuine."

"We could find out," Hermione said. "Once Lucius is in power, we can check the hall of prophecies."

"Would it change anything?" Voldemort asked with a frown. "If there was no prophecy, would you change your mind about wanting to become Minister?"

"No, I don't think it would," Hermione replied. "I think I've also inherited something else from you."

"What's that?" Voldemort asked. In his opinion his daughter had inherited quite a bit from him, but he was interested to hear what specific part of his personality she thought she'd inherited.

"Your thirst for power," Hermione replied. "I didn't think I had inherited it, until the Minister's job was dangled in front of me. Now I know it's what I want more than almost anything in the world. I want the job, and I want the power that comes with it."

"Power is very seductive," Voldemort admitted. "Just make sure you use it more wisely than I did. My downfall was making powerful enemies."

"Once we've sorted Ginny and Sirius, I'll have no enemies," Hermione said. "No-one will stand in my way."

"That's my girl," Voldemort chuckled. "I'm so proud of you, Athena."

Hermione smiled at her father's words as a contented feeling settled over her. However, she didn't have time to bask in the feeling as one of the house elves appeared and informed her that she had a visitor. Not sure who would be visiting her, Hermione made her way back to the manor with her father. However, her father remained outside of the front room, hovering in case she needed him but keeping out of sight if it was someone who shouldn't know he was there.

When Hermione entered the front room, she found herself in the presence of a tall, slightly dangerous looking wizard. The man didn't look at all familiar to Hermione, but when he greeted her with a smirk he revealed a set of sharp fang like teeth.

"Greyback?" she queried.

"At your service, My Lady," Greyback replied, briefly swooping into a low bow before returning to his full height.

"Do you have news?" Hermione asked.

"I do," Greyback replied with another flash of teeth.

"You know where Black is?" Hermione checked.

"I do," Greyback confirmed. "And I know who's been visiting him."

"Ginny Weasley," Hermione guessed.

"You are good at this," Greyback chuckled. "Do you want me to bring Black to you, or are you going to him?"

"How about we pay Mr Black a visit," Voldemort suggested as he swept into the room.

"Father," Hermione hissed at Voldemort as Greyback's eyes widened momentarily before he ducked back down into the low bow he'd greeted Hermione with.

"My Lord," he whispered deferentially.

"We can trust Greyback, my dear," Voldemort reassured Hermione with a low chuckle. "We go way back, don't we my dear friend?"

"Indeed we do My Lord," Greyback replied as he once again rose to his full height. "And I am very pleased to hear the rumours of your return were true."

"Yet as far as the world is concerned, they were foul lies perpetrated by my daughter's enemies," Voldemort warned the werewolf. "I have no intention of living a public life again. The remainder of my life will be played out in private."

"I understand," Greyback returned with a nod.

"Now back to our little problem," Voldemort said. "I think I would like some fun. Black may not have killed Adelaide, but he was in on the plot and he willingly went along with an innocent woman being killed and a child being kidnapped. I think he deserves to suffer."

"Are you fit enough for that?" Hermione checked.

"I think I am," Voldemort said with a confident nod. "My magic has improved substantially since the return of my wand. Besides, I'll have the pair of you with me in case I struggle."

"Do we go now?" Hermione asked.

"When I left, the little redhead was in with the dog," Greyback replied. "If we're quick, we might still catch them together."

"Then let's get moving," Hermione announced. "I'll just let Narcissa know we're popping out."

While Voldemort and Greyback prepared to leave and do battle, Hermione quickly located Narcissa and informed her soon to be mother-in-law that she and her father were going out with Greyback. As soon as she mentioned the werewolf, Narcissa knew exactly what they were heading out to do, and she warned Hermione to be careful.

"Don't worry, we know what we're doing," Hermione assured Narcissa before she returned to where her father and Greyback were waiting for her.

With the werewolf taking the lead, the trio left Malfoy Manor, fully prepared to have a bit of fun with Sirius before they took him out. And if Ginny also happened to get in the way and ended up deceased, then Hermione wasn't going to shed any tears over her. As with Harry and Ron, Ginny had sealed her own fate by trying to take down Hermione and hurting someone Hermione loved.

* * *

 _ **G.O.V.**_

* * *

Unaware that Hermione and Voldemort had finally gotten a lead on Sirius, and were out to get him and Ginny, Lucius was hanging around the Ministry as the investigation into the letter bomb finally started to make some progress. Lucius had heard a whisper earlier that morning that Kingsley and Tonks were onto something, so he'd hung around in the hopes of finding out what. And as luck would have it, he was with Fudge when Kingsley asked to speak to the Minister.

"Anything you have to say can be said in front of Lucius," Fudge said to Kingsley. "Maybe you can reassure him that your investigation is going somewhere. I think he has his doubts."

"Well it has been several weeks since the incident," Lucius remarked. "And everytime I enquire about the investigation I'm merely told there's no leads."

"Well we have a lead now," Kingsley said.

"A solid one?" Fudge questioned.

"We think so," Kingsley said. "The explosive powder was home-made and we've been looking into the ingredients needed to make it. There was a couple of very rare ingredients, which are very hard to get your hands on. We spoke to the only two suppliers and they gave us a list of people who've bought the ingredients in the last year. And it was a small list as they're pretty specialised ingredients."

"And that's your lead?" Fudge asked.

"Not all of it," Kingsley replied. "We've spoken to everyone on the list, and all but one could account for their supply. One of the businesses we spoke to confirmed they bought the ingredient, but when they checked their supply they found a portion was missing. Just the right amount that would be needed to make the explosive powder."

"And which business was this?" Lucius asked, even though he was beginning to have a sneaking suspicion where Kingsley's story was going.

"The joke shop in Diagon Alley, Weasleys Wizard Wheezes," Kingsley admitted. "Neither Fred or George could account for the missing ingredient."

"And you think they sent the letter bomb?" Fudge questioned with a frown. "Didn't I just hear that Miss Granger has invested in their shop."

"She has," Lucius replied. "And she would be heartbroken if it turned out they'd tried to kill her."

"We don't believe Fred and George were involved," Kingsley said with a slight sigh. "We also looked at some of the other ingredients, and the owner of the apothecary in Diagon Alley can recall selling a couple of the items on the list to someone who had access to the twins supplies."

"Who?" Fudge demanded, eager for Lucius to receive some good news in the hopes that he would ease off on him about Sirius.

"Ginny Weasley," Kingsley answered. "It could all be circumstantial, but I think it's enough to warrant a talk with her."

"I agree," Fudge replied with a nod of his head as he rose to his feet. "And I'm going to take charge of the investigation. This letter bomb is a serious matter and we need to send a message that we won't tolerate such behaviour. I know Miss Weasley is still young, but if she is involved in this, I will personally make sure she's punished."

Thanking Fudge for taking such a personal interest in the case, Lucius rushed home to break the news to Hermione. He knew how anxious she'd been over the last couple of weeks, so he figured she would be relieved to know that the net was closing in on Ginny. However, when he got home not only was there no sign of Hermione, but there was also no sign of The Dark Lord.

"They both went out with Greyback," Narcissa informed her husband when he asked her about their whereabouts.

"Greyback was here?" Lucius checked with a frown.

"Yes, and since Athena and The Dark Lord left with him, I'm assuming he's found Black," Narcissa replied.

"Let's hope he's all they've found," Lucius muttered as he quickly filled his wife in on developments at the Ministry.

"If the Weasley girl is with Black and Hermione hurts her, it could be problematic," Narcissa gasped. "It could ruin all her plans for the future."

"Which is why we need to stop her before she does something she's going to regret," Lucius said. "Did she say where they were going?"

"No, she merely said they were going with Greyback and they would be back later," Narcissa replied.

"Where's Draco?" Lucius demanded.

"With Blaise and Theo," Narcissa answered. "But he won't know where she is either."

"No, but he can use their connection to stop her," Lucius replied. "Come on, we have to be quick before Athena's darkness rises to the fore again, and she does something she can't take back."

Hoping they weren't going to be too late, Lucius and Narcissa rushed off to find their son. With any luck Draco would reach Hermione before she could do anything dark that would damage her chances of one day becoming Minister for Magic.


	33. Chapter 33

When Hermione landed in a small thicket of trees with her father and Greyback, she felt there was something familiar about her surroundings. When Greyback then led them across a field, the feeling grew and Hermione was reminded of her visits to The Burrow. The more she looked at their surroundings, the stronger the feeling got, and Hermione became convinced that wherever they were, they were in close proximity to the Weasley house. Which of course made perfect sense since Greyback had confirmed that Ginny had been helping Sirius.

"The Weasley house is just over the hill," Greyback confirmed when Hermione checked where exactly they were. "But we're actually nearer the home of another family, the Lovegoods."

"I can remember Luna and her father lived near the Weasleys," Hermione replied. "How close to their house do we need to go? I'd rather they didn't see us."

"We're going to a small cabin nearby," Greyback answered. "There should be no reason for the Lovegoods to spot us. They certainly don't seem to have spotted the Weasley girl coming and going, or Black staying in the cabin for that matter."

Hermione hoped that it stayed that way as they made their way towards a small cabin, which had clearly been deserted for some time. From outside it didn't look as though anyone was inside the cabin, but Hermione trusted Greyback. If he said Sirius had been hiding out in the cabin, then that was exactly what he had been doing.

"What's the plan?" Greyback asked, deferring to The Dark Lord and his daughter.

"How many entrances are there to the cabin?" Hermione questioned.

"Just this one, but there are windows," Greyback answered.

"Father and I will enter via the door, and you stay out here," Hermione ordered Greyback. "If anyone tries to flee, I trust you can bring them back."

"They can't run from me," Greyback replied with a toothy grin.

"If they don't run, you can join the fun inside," Hermione said. "Are you ready?" she checked with her father.

"Itching to go," Voldemort replied with a smirk as he twirled his wand around in his fingers.

"I think a simple Bombarda will do it," Hermione replied, advancing towards the door.

Even though Hermione and her father didn't have the bond she and Draco had, they still worked in unison to break into the cabin. As the door shattered they burst into the cabin, and their move had clearly caught Sirius and Ginny by surprise as they were both sitting on a couple of overturned boxes in the corner of the room.

"What do we have here?" Hermione purred as the pair shot to their feet. Ginny had also pulled out her wand, but Sirius was wandless, although Hermione suspected he wouldn't be opposed to physically fighting.

"Don't even think about running, you will be caught and returned," Voldemort said as Ginny's eyes briefly darted towards the small window behind her.

"Dumbledore was right, you're not dead," Sirius said, moving in front of Ginny, even though she was the one with the wand.

"So it would seem," Voldemort remarked. "But my wife is dead. Your best friend killed her."

"It's just a shame you didn't join her in hell," Sirius snarled.

"Ooh, he's got fire, I'm going to enjoy extinguishing that," Voldemort chuckled.

"He's all yours," Hermione said to her father. "Have fun, and I'll sort Ginny."

"Like you sorted my brother and Harry?" Ginny snarled. "I know you killed them Hermione. It wasn't the accident everyone believes it to be."

"For once you would be right," Hermione admitted with a chuckle as Greyback appeared in the doorway.

"Ah, I see you trapped the pair," he remarked.

"Come in and join the fun, Greyback," Voldemort said, inviting the werewolf to join them.

As Greyback strolled into the cabin, Hermione quickly disarmed Ginny, who had been temporarily distracted by the presence of the werewolf who had scarred her father. However, Sirius was not quite as distracted and with Hermione focused on Ginny, he launched himself at the young witch. Hermione was taken by surprise by Sirius's move, and as she went crashing to the floor her wand and Ginny's scattered from her fingers.

"Grab them Ginny," Sirius cried as he held onto Hermione.

"I don't think so," Voldemort snarled, blasting Ginny off her feet and sending her crashing into the nearby wall.

At the same time Greyback hauled Sirius to his feet and kept a tight hold on the wizard. Helping his daughter to her feet, Voldemort handed her back her wand and Ginny's.

"Are you alright?" he asked in concern.

"I'm fine," Hermione replied. "I'm sure you'll make Sirius regret his rashness."

"Oh, he'll regret it," Voldemort muttered in a dark voice as he turned his attention to Sirius, who was trying to get free from Greyback's strong grasp.

Trusting that her father had Sirius right where he wanted him, Hermione stalked over to Ginny and pulled the dazed girl to her feet. Pinning her to the wall using magic, she pressed both the wands in her hand against the red-head's neck. Ginny was clearly still dazed from where she'd crashed against the wall, but Hermione could see the sharpness slowly returning to her eyes.

"That's better," she remarked when she was sure Ginny could comprehend everything she was going to say to her. "I don't want you to miss anything, Ginny. I'm going to do you the same honour I did to Harry and Ron before we killed them. I'm going to tell you the truth."

"I know the truth," Ginny spat, glancing over Hermione's shoulder and seeing that Voldemort and Greyback had Sirius on the floor, where she could hear a few whimpers of pain coming from him.

"You're right, everything Harry and Ron accused me of was true," Hermione confirmed. "I was behind everything that happened that last year at Hogwarts. I found out the truth, and I set out to destroy the people who ruined my life. I arranged for James to be killed, and I tore your family apart."

"We trusted you, Hermione," Ginny snarled. "We were your friends."

"I didn't originally target you, Harry and Ron," Hermione admitted. "I gave you a chance. I made sure you heard about Athena before I decided what to do about you three. All you had to do was give me a chance. But the second you found out about me, you decided I was evil. Harry and Ron even planned to find me and kill me, without ever getting to know me. They judged me for who my father was, as did you. I knew then that you would never accept me, and you would never disapprove of what your parents had done. And I was right. Even now, you still think they did the right thing, don't you?"

"I think they made one very big mistake," Ginny replied. "They shouldn't have kidnapped you, they should have killed you. You were born evil, and you will die evil."

"And you've just proved everything I've been saying," Hermione said with a low chuckle. "Although I do have one more thing to tell you. That theory of yours that we used a lust potion on you, it's all in that brain-dead head of yours. We didn't need to use a lust potion on you. All Blaise and Theo had to do was show an interest in you and you dropped your knickers for them in an instant. I have to admit, I didn't think the plan was going to work when Draco first suggested it, but I hadn't realised that you were a massive tart."

"As if you've got room to talk, just look at how quick you jumped into Malfoy's bed," Ginny snorted.

"How thick are you Ginny?" Hermione laughed. "Draco and I were together long before I found out the truth. I only pretended to love Ron. He was my cover so no-one would suspect I was involved, and then with your help I got him to propose. And I was going to break his heart by saying no. But it worked out even better when I twisted it to make it look as though he'd broke my heart by rejecting me at graduation."

As she was taunting Ginny, Hermione became aware of Draco's presence in her mind. Making sure she still had Ginny where she wanted her, Hermione focused on the connection and checked that Draco was fine. Once she was assured that her fiancé wasn't in any danger, she returned her attention to Ginny and tuned out the sound of Draco's voice in her head.

"What are you going to do now, kill me?" Ginny asked, sounding braver than she felt. She was now in serious fear for her life, especially as Sirius was still on the floor and it didn't look as though he was going to be able to escape from Voldemort.

"The thought had crossed my mind," Hermione admitted, still trying to tune out the connection with Draco.

"And how are you going to explain this death?" Ginny demanded. "You got away with Harry and Ron, but how many more killings can you get away with? People may be happy to believe you're Miss Innocent at the moment, but how may deaths can you be involved in before that image shatters and people see you for the nasty piece of work you truly are?"

"Maybe I'm sick of being the good girl," Hermione retorted, pressing the wands harshly against Ginny's throat. "Maybe I'm just going to kill you outright and sod what people say. Maybe I'm going to stop hiding and embrace my true self. Maybe it's time Hermione said goodbye and Athena took her place."

"Come on, show your true colours," Ginny urged. "Show the world what you're made of."

Giving Ginny a wicked smirk, to let her know she wasn't bluffing, Hermione tucked Ginny's wand into her pocket and pulled her own back to take a better aim at the redhead. To her credit Ginny didn't flinch as Hermione pointed her wand at her, but Hermione still suspected that Ginny wasn't convinced she would kill her in cold blood. Although maybe she did have a point as even though Hermione had been involved in several deaths, she hadn't once cast the killing curse.

"What's wrong, scared to get your hands dirty?" Ginny taunted.

"Not at all," Hermione replied with a smirk, Ginny's taunting igniting her ruthless side. "Goodbye, Ginny."

"Athena!"

Hermione froze at the sound of Draco shouting her name. Glancing around she looked for her fiancé, but saw no sign of him. That was when she realised the shouting had been in her head, and Draco had used their connection to grab her attention.

"Okay I'm listening," she muttered, ignoring the baffled look Ginny was giving her.

Now she'd stopped blocking out Draco, Hermione became aware of her fiancé urgently trying to contact her. Without blocking the connection, Hermione wasn't surprised to find Draco focusing on her whereabouts before she felt his physical presence nearby. Seconds later he and Lucius burst into the cabin, quickly taking in the scene. While Hermione had Ginny pinned to the wall, Sirius was still being held on the floor by Greyback while Voldemort mercilessly tortured him.

"Don't hurt her," Draco said as he made his way over to Hermione.

"You're trying to save her life?" Hermione asked in bewilderment. "That's what all this fuss is about?"

"No, we're trying to save you from ruining your future," Lucius said. "The Ministry have evidence she was behind the letter bomb."

"Then that's all the more reason to kill her," Hermione snarled, turning back to Ginny. "She needs to be punished for what she did to Severus."

"And she will be if you leave her alone," Lucius urged. "The Ministry is going to arrest her."

"Wouldn't it be so much sweeter to see her rot in jail for the rest of her worthless life?" Draco softly asked his fiancée. "And it's yet another blow to her family. Just think about it Hermione. Her life will be ruined, and you don't have to do a thing."

"But she knows," Hermione admitted. "She knows everything. A look at her memories will reveal all our secrets."

"Then we obliviate her," Lucius said. "We remove her memories of everything that's happened since you arrived."

"And Sirius?" Hermione asked, glancing towards where her father had briefly stopped his torture to find out what was happening.

"He's a dead man," Voldemort replied. "But we can make it look like he's taken his own life. Obliviate the girl and let her think she left Black in perfect health."

"Looks like you've got a reprieve, Ginny," Hermione said as she turned back to the redhead. "Your life will still be ruined and no blame will be put on me. I'll still be innocent, and there'll be no problems with me becoming Minister for Magic in the future."

"And our world will be doomed," Ginny muttered.

"This wouldn't be happening if your brother and Harry had just left me the hell alone," Hermione hissed. "All I wanted was to be left alone to live my life with Draco. But you lot just pushed and pushed and caused me to unleash my darkness. Well now you've got to face the consequences Ginny."

"I'll do the honours," Lucius offered. "We need to make sure the memory charms work."

"Take her outside before you do it," Hermione said. "If you don't, we'll only have to obliviate her a second time."

"Come on, Red, it's time for you to meet your destiny," Lucius snarled as he grabbed hold of Ginny while Hermione released the spell keeping her pinned to the wall.

Draco escorted his father out of the cabin and together they fixed the door to the cabin. Draco then returned to the cabin and he and Hermione watched as Lucius obliviated Ginny and sent her home to await her arrest.

"Thank you," Hermione said, giving Draco a peck on the cheek. "I could have made a huge mistake with Ginny."

"It wouldn't have been a mistake if the Ministry weren't onto her," Draco said. "She deserved to be punished for what she did to Severus. But rotting in jail will be just as bad, if not worse, then death. And we still get to witness the end of Black."

"Actually, I'm not in the mood," Hermione said with a shrug. "I'd rather just go home. Let's leave Sirius to our fathers. I'm sure Lucius would like to join in the fun."

"I thought you'd never ask," Lucius said with a smirk as he joined Voldemort and Greyback.

Leaving the trio to have their fun, Hermione and Draco headed home to the manor. Once at home they made sure Severus knew that the Ministry were onto Ginny and she would soon be arrested. They then settled down to wait for Voldemort and Lucius to return, and basked in the fact that finally it was over. There was no-one left to oppose them. Finally they could get on with their lives and not have to worry about any more rebellions and fighting. Finally, they could start planning for the future and looking forward to the rest of their lives together.


	34. Chapter 34

Completely unaware that she'd been obliviated and the end was nigh, Ginny prepared dinner for her brothers content in the knowledge that Hermione would one day get her comeuppance. Even though Ginny had initially been eager to go after Hermione straight away, she'd accepted Sirius's reasoning that taking their time was the way to go. Not only would taking their time ensure their plan was fool proof and would actually work, but the longer they went without actually doing anything the more comfortable Hermione would get and the more she would be taken by surprise by their attack.

To be honest it was the thought of seeing Hermione brought to justice, and seeing everyone realise just how wrong they'd been about her, that was keeping Ginny going. Without school to focus on, Ginny had found herself in the middle of the mess her family had turned into, and she didn't like it one bit. Her father had already been going downhill following his attack, but now her mother was no better and Ginny wasn't sure if either of her parents would ever live a normal life again. In fact she wasn't even sure if either of them would leave the house other than when they had to. Of course that meant that someone really needed to help look after them, and Ginny suspected that duty was going to fall on her. The twins had their business, and while Bill and Charlie were home at the moment, Ginny wasn't sure it was a permanent move for either of them. And as for Percy, he was still determined to find a job and restart his life away from The Burrow. So that left Ginny as the one most likely to have to take care of their scarred parents.

Not wanting to think about the possibility of being stuck as a carer at such a young age, Ginny brushed the thoughts aside as she focused on dinner. Once the pie she was making was in the oven, she planned on having a relaxing bath. However, she never got the chance to do so as just as she was putting the pie into the oven there was a knock on the door and when Bill answered, a serious looking Kingsley and Tonks entered the house.

"What's going on? Is it bad news?" Charlie asked. Although to be fair he wasn't sure he could think of any more bad news that could befall the family.

"We're here to ask Ginny to accompany us to the Ministry," Kingsley replied. "We have some questions for her."

"Me?" Ginny squeaked. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"The letter bomb that was sent to Hermione," Tonks answered.

"You mean the one Professor Snape opened?" Bill questioned. "Surely you don't think Ginny had anything to do with it."

"Actually, we have strong evidence she was involved," Kingsley admitted. "We can tie her to several of the ingredients needed to make the explosive powder, including some very hard to get ingredients. And we now have a witness that claims to have seen Ginny send an owl from Diagon Alley around the time we think the letter bomb was dispatched."

"Ingredients?" George remarked with a frown. "This is about the spark powder you were asking us about the other day, wasn't it?"

"Yes, the powder was one of the ingredients used in the letter bomb, and as you know because it's dangerous, it's a registered substance," Kingsley said. "Very little is sold in the UK, and you're the only buyers we've found who can't account for their powder."

"But that doesn't mean Ginny stole it," Percy argued. "The twins could have just mislaid it."

"It's dangerous, Percy, we don't mislay dangerous powders that can cause explosions," Fred retorted. "It was locked in a secure box in our store room."

"A store room which your sister has access to," Kingsley said.

"It still doesn't prove anything," Ginny snapped. "Plenty of people have access to the twins storeroom, including the rest of the family, the staff in the shop and even their friends. Anyone could have taken that powder."

"They could," Tonks agreed with a nod. "But we also have a record of you buying several more of the ingredients needed to make the explosive powder. And as Kingsley said, we also now have a witness who saw you send a brown envelope, like the one sent to Hermione, from the post office in Diagon Alley the day we believe the letter bomb was sent."

"That is all purely circumstantial," Percy snorted. "Besides, Ginny would never do such a thing."

"She wouldn't want revenge on the witch she blames for her brother's death?" Kingsley questioned with an arched eyebrow.

Ginny waited for her brothers to jump to her defence, but Kingsley question silenced them all. Even though they didn't want to believe it, Ginny could see they were all recalling the conversation they'd had after Ron's death when she'd been adamant that Hermione was to blame. If just one of them mentioned that conversation she was in trouble, especially with what the Ministry already had on her, and Ginny cursed her rashness. If only she'd waited and stopped to think, she wouldn't have rushed in and committed a crime that if proven would earn her a jail sentence. But she had, and now all she could do was deny everything and hope that the evidence the Ministry had wasn't strong enough to warrant a conviction.

"We should be going," Kingsley said.

"Can one of us come with her?" Bill asked. "I know Ginny is seventeen and technically an adult, but she is still young and inexperienced in the ways of the world."

"Of course one of you can accompany her to the Ministry," Tonks said kindly. "And I would also suggest you get her a lawyer."

"I don't need a lawyer, I'm innocent," Ginny protested.

"Innocent or guilty, a lawyer is highly recommended during an official interview at the Ministry," Kingsley said. "You are going to be interviews by skilled officials, Ginny. You need someone on your side."

"I can make some calls about a lawyer if you want to go with her," Charlie said to Bill.

"Yeah," Bill agreed with a nod. "Come on Ginny, let's get this over with."

"And I will be coming back because I'm innocent," Ginny declared defiantly.

"Let's hope so," Tonks muttered as Kingsley began to sort travel arrangements with Bill.

However, before they'd even had a chance to leave The Burrow and return to the Ministry, there was a knock on the door. When Percy opened the door, Xeno Lovegood burst into the kitchen demanding to speak to the Aurors.

"How did you know we were here, Mr Lovegood?" Tonks questioned with a frown.

"I spotted you arriving," Xeno replied. "I was on my way back home to contact the Ministry, but when I saw the pair of you, I thought I should report it in person."

"Report what?" Kingsley asked.

"The dead body," Xeno answered.

"Dead body?" Tonks queried. "What dead body?"

"The one in the old playhouse on the edge of my property," Xeno explained. "I noticed a lot of unusual animal activity in the vicinity so I went to investigate. That's when I found him. Although I think a couple of animals found him first, he's not exactly in a good condition."

"Tonks, you stay here, I'll go and investigate," Kingsley said.

As Kingsley hurried off with Xeno to investigate the body in the playhouse, no-one noticed how pale Ginny had gone. Slumping down at the kitchen table, Ginny tried to work out what could have happened since she'd left him the previous day. Sirius was clearly the dead body Luna's father had found, but what had happened to him? And was it just a coincidence that his body should be found just as she was being arrested? If she didn't know any better she would have sworn that Hermione was behind what was happening. But as much as she hated Hermione, she just couldn't see how her arch enemy had orchestrated her arrest and Sirius's death. She hadn't known where Sirius was, and if she'd known that Ginny had sent the letter bomb, she would have dealt with her personally, not allowed her to be investigated by the Ministry, where there was a chance she would get away with her crime.

Ginny remained quiet as everyone else speculated on the identity of the body in the playhouse, and what could have happened to them. She didn't even react when Kingsley returned, whispered something to Tonks and handed her a scraggly piece of parchment. However, she did get nervous as Tonks read whatever Kingsley had handed her and glanced over at her.

"There's been a change of plan," Kingsley announced. "I will escort Ginny to the Ministry, but her interview will be put on hold. Bill, you can still come with us and I can arrange for you to sit with Ginny until we're ready to talk to her."

"So what's happening with the body?" Bill asked.

"Tonks will secure the scene, and I will return with a team to process the scene," Kingsley replied.

"Do you know who the body is?" Charlie asked.

"We do," Kingsley replied with a nod. "Normally we notify the family first, but he has no family. I trust you to keep quiet until we announce it officially, but the body is that of Sirius Black."

"Whoa," Charlie gasped as Ginny fought back the tears that threatened to spill. "Are you saying he's been hiding there all this time? And what happened to him?"

"It appears he was there for a while," Kingsley answered. "And it's looking as though he took his own life."

"No," Ginny spat, unable to control herself. "Sirius would never kill himself. Someone killed him."

"We'll find out when we do our examinations," Kingsley replied. "But let's get going, Ginny. And just so you know, you will be asked about Sirius and your role in his escape."

"My role?" Ginny whispered, not sure how to react to everything unravelling right in front of her eyes.

"He left a note," Kingsley said, retaking the parchment from Tonks and securing it in his robes. "He mentions the help you gave him, but we can discuss it later."

With nothing else to discuss, Kingsley escorted Ginny and Bill to the Ministry, leaving Tonks with the rest of the Weasleys.

"What exactly did the note say?" Charlie asked Tonks before she could leave to secure the scene at the playhouse. "How much trouble is Ginny in?"

"A lot," Tonks confessed. "Fudge is running the letter bomb case, and he's sure we've got enough to charge her. And once we do that, we can question her under Veriteserum and the truth will come out. Of course if she's innocent, she'll be released, but if she confesses, she's facing a prison sentence."

"And Sirius?" George asked. "What did Ginny do?"

"The note from Sirius said that Ginny helped him escape and helped hide him," Tonks explained, unable to keep the anger from her voice. She'd vouched for Sirius so he could attend Harry's funeral, and when Ginny had helped him escape it had almost cost Tonks her career. As it was she was on probation and one wrong move would mean the end of her time as an Auror. "It also claimed that they'd been planning on targeting Hermione," she added.

"So why did he kill himself?" Percy asked. "If he was hidden away plotting with Ginny, why top himself?"

"He claims to have been having second thoughts," Tonks said. "According to the letter, he'd started to have doubts about what they were planning on doing to Hermione. He said he'd decided it was time to end the violence."

"But why kill himself, why not turn himself in?" Charlie asked.

"He didn't want to return to Azkaban," Tonks replied with a snort. "Apparently he said he no longer had anything to live for with both James and Harry dead," she added bitterly.

"You sound angry," Charlie said softly.

"I am angry," Tonks admitted. "He wouldn't have even been out of Azkaban if it wasn't for me. I stuck my neck on the line by vouching for him, and jeopardised my job. I did it because I know how much he means to Remus, and I thought it was the right thing to do to allow him to say goodbye to his godson. Now, thanks to your sister, we've got this mess to deal with. Sirius may have thought he had nothing to live for, but I know two people who are going to be broken up by his death. I will now have to tell Remus and Lily that Sirius chose to leave them. I will have to break the hearts of the wizard I love, and a grieving witch whose lost both her husband and son. I swear, if Sirius wasn't already dead, I would kill him myself for the pain he's going to cause Remus and Lily."

"And the trouble he's caused for you," Charlie said, feeling guilty that his sister had played a part in causing such trouble for Tonks.

"At least that can be controlled," Tonks admitted with a shrug. "I was lucky to keep my job, but all I have to do is make sure I don't screw up again and things will be fine. So in keeping with not screwing up, I need to get over to the Lovegoods."

"I guess we're going to have to tell Mum and Dad as well," Percy remarked.

"If I were you, I'd focus on Ginny," Tonks advised. As mad as she was that the young witch had played a part in helping Sirius escape, she still considered the Weasleys friends and wanted to help them as much as she could. "As I said, it's not looking good for her. Get her a lawyer, I think she's going to need one."

Leaving the Weasleys to deal with finding a lawyer for their wayward sister, Tonks hurried over to the Lovegood property and secured the crime scene. By the time she'd done that Kingsley had returned with their forensic team and the investigation into the death of Sirius Black began.


	35. Chapter 35

Hermione was eager to hear what progress was being made by the Ministry in regards to Sirius and Ginny, and it was torture waiting for news. She was sorely tempted to send Lucius to the Ministry for an update, especially when several days passed with no word, but everyone advised against it. Lucius was confident that Fudge would deliver justice and he rightly pointed out that there could be no claims of coercion on the Malfoys part if Lucius stayed away from the Ministry. After all, the last thing Hermione wanted was for Ginny to escape justice because she could argue that Lucius had pushed for her prosecution and the Ministry were in his pocket. So instead she was forced to wait for news.

When news did come it was several days after her run-in with Ginny and Sirius. One morning Lucius suddenly received a message from Fudge asking for a meeting with the family, including Severus. The meeting was hastily arranged and Lucius chose to use one of the lesser used living rooms for the meeting rather than the main living room. The reason for using the room was due to a large portrait on the wall which housed a secret spy panel, meaning that Voldemort could be in the next room listening and viewing the entire meeting with the Minister.

By the time Fudge arrived at the manor, everyone was settled in the room they were going to use for the meeting. Narcissa had even rearranged the furniture so that Severus could sit in a position so that everyone was on his right hand side, meaning he wouldn't miss a word. Plus the rearrangement of the furniture offered Voldemort a better view from his secret hiding place in the room next door.

"Thank you for seeing me at such short notice," Fudge said as he shook everyone's hand before taking the only empty seat.

"We're all hoping you're bringing good news," Lucius replied.

"I can confirm we've charged a witch with the sending of the letter bomb," Fudge announced. "All the charges are still being sorted, but they will include sending dangerous post, causing bodily harm and I'm hoping attempted murder."

"Attempted murder sounds good to me," Severus grumbled. "Let's not forget I survived because I'd turned my head at the last moment. I was lucky. If Hermione had opened that letter, she might not have been as lucky. Even turning her head likely wouldn't have saved her. I'm a lot larger than her, so more than likely she would have died if she'd opened that letter. That sounds like attempted murder to me."

"Given the confession we've got, I can't see the charge of attempted murder being turned down," Fudge assured Severus.

"We are talking about Ginny Weasley here, aren't we?" Hermione checked, noticing that Fudge had yet to confirm who was under arrest.

"Yes, we are," Fudge confirmed with a nod. "As I'm sure Lucius informed you, the investigation started to point to her a few days ago. I took over the case as the evidence began mounting up. Once we had a strong circumstantial case, I summoned Miss Weasley into the Ministry for an official interview."

"And she confessed?" Draco questioned with a disbelieving arch of his eyebrow. He had nothing against Fudge, but he didn't for one minute think the man was intimidating enough to get anyone to confess to attempted murder.

"She denied everything," Fudge replied. "We interviewed her for hours, and she didn't admit a thing. So then I charged her and we were able to interview her under Veriteserum."

"That doesn't sound very legal to me," Narcissa remarked with a confused frown. "Won't any decent lawyer argue she was only charged to be given Veriteserum?"

"It doesn't quite work like that," Fudge answered with a slight chuckle. "It is true that we can't question anyone under Veriteserum unless they've been officially charged. But we can't officially charge anyone unless we have a case we think we can win even without a confession. You can't just think someone is guilty and charge them to get them to drink Veriteserum. We had a strong circumstantial case against Ginny, and even without her confession, I was confident of a conviction. Her confession just helped things along."

"What was the case you had against her?" Hermione asked, interested to hear how Ginny had messed up and been found out by the authorities.

"As you know we found no evidence of who had sent the letter bomb, so we took a closer look at the powder which caused the explosion," Fudge explained. "We found a couple of hard to get ingredients, one of which was a registered substance. We traced everyone who had bought the substance in the last year and tracked down their supplies. Only one buyer failed to account for all of their supply."

"The Weasley twins," Lucius remarked.

"The twins swore they kept the spark powder safely locked away, and they hadn't used all of their supply," Fudge continued. "Theirs was the only missing powder, so it stood to reason that someone with access to their supply made the explosive powder in the letter bomb. We then found evidence that Ginny had bought several of the other ingredients needed to make the powder."

"That is very coincidental," Hermione mused. "Would that really have been enough to charge her?"

"It was, together with a witness we found that claimed they saw Ginny sending a brown envelope from the owl post office in Diagon Alley the day we believe the letter bomb was mailed," Fudge replied. "And of course we had motive given that her brother was recently killed in his botched kidnapping scheme. Even her own brothers couldn't deny she blamed you for Ronald's death. It would have taken a hell of a lawyer to have won her an aquittal when you added everything up together. I was confident of a conviction, so I pressed ahead with charging her and got a full confession."

"So she did try and kill me?" Hermione checked as Draco took hold of her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"She said the intention was merely to wound you, but given the volatile nature of the powder, she had to have known that death was a possibility," Fudge said. "The truth is, she was out to get you, Hermione, and the letter bomb was only the beginning."

"The beginning?" Draco queried. "Are you saying she was planning more attempts on Athena's life?"

"While the Aurors were at The Burrow, a neighbour alerted them to a body on his premises," Fudge said. "The body belonged to Sirius Black."

"Are you saying Black is dead?" Severus questioned, unable to keep his dark eyes from glittering victoriously at the mere thought of his old enemy being out of his life for good.

"Yes, Sirius Black is dead," Fudge confirmed with a sharp nod of his head. "He'd been hiding out in an old playhouse on the edge of the Lovegood property."

"How did he die?" Hermione asked.

"He took his own life," Fudge replied. "We believe he hung himself."

"Believe?" Lucius questioned, feigning confusion even though he knew exactly what had happened with Sirius as he'd been there in the final moments, and the ones leading up to it.

"I'm afraid some animals had found their way into the playhouse and had rather made a mess of him," Fudge admitted with an uncomfortable wince, clearly recalling the not so pretty sight that had been Sirius Black in the end. "But we had his suicide note."

"He left a note?" Hermione asked. "What did it say?"

"He confessed to the fact Ginny had helped him escape at the funeral, and admitted that she'd been hiding him every since," Fudge said. "The plan was for the pair of them to join forces and bring you down. Ginny admitted it all in her final interview, and she confirmed that even thought it was their intention to hurt you, they hadn't made any plans. They were going for a long term plan and letting you think the danger had passed."

"And what, Black just got bored of waiting and decided to top himself?" Draco scoffed.

"It seems that unbeknown to Ginny, he was having second thoughts in the time she wasn't with him. He couldn't get over the loss of his best friend and godson and in the end decided that he had nothing to live for," Fudge explained.

"And is Ginny being charged in regards to Sirius?" Hermione asked. "After all, if she hadn't helped him escape, he would have still been in Azkaban."

"Yes, she'll also be charged with aiding and abetting a felon," Fudge confirmed. "Given all the charges against her, I can't see her escaping a long prison sentence."

"So there will be a trial?" Hermione checked.

"Yes, there will be a trial," Fudge confirmed. "And given her confession, it should be a fairly straightforward one. At the moment her lawyer is trying to put together a deal for her, but even a generous deal on our part will still result in her spending several years in Azkaban."

"Which is no more than she deserves," Hermione hissed. "I don't care what she was planning to do to me, I care about what she did to Severus. She deserves to be locked up for that alone."

"And I can assure you that I will personally make sure it happens," Fudge vowed.

"Good, and then we can continue with our earlier discussions," Lucius said.

"So you're accepting my offer then?" Fudge asked.

"I am," Lucius confirmed with a nod. "I've talked it through with my family and we all agree it's too good an opportunity to miss out on. Once you've secured the conviction of Ginny Weasley, you can resign and I will happily accept your endorsement as a candidate for the next Minister of Magic."

"You won't regret this Lucius," Fudge said, happily shaking Lucius's hand. "You'll be a really strong Minister. Just the sort of wizard our world needs right now. I just know that with you at the helm, Wizarding Britain will be stronger than ever."

"Let's hope so," Lucius said. "And thank you for taking the time to personally deliver us such good news."

"It's important that people know the Ministry is there to protect the public, no matter who they are, or who their parents happen to be," Fudge said, directing his comment to Hermione. "And I do hope it's something that will continue in the future," he added to Lucius.

"Of course," Lucius replied with a solemn nod. "There will be no discrimination on my part once I'm in charge."

"Only to vermin who continue to oppose us," Draco whispered under his breath as his father showed the Minister out and once again thanked him for his visit.

"I don't think we're going to get any more opposition," Hermione said, just as Lucius returned to the room with Voldemort right behind him, having heard everything.

"How sure are you about that, Athena?" Voldemort asked. "Because with Lucius about to take charge at the Ministry, now is the time to decide if you wish to change things in Wizarding Britain."

"No," Hermione said with a shake of her head as all eyes turned to her. "I will play no part in Lucius's tenure as Minister. The next few years are for him to decide how to proceed. I'm going to focus on my own business, and on getting married. And then when the time is right, I can take over from Lucius and anything I don't agree with then, I can change. But for now, I'm content to keep out of the limelight."

"But you think the threat is over?" Lucius checked with his soon to be daughter-in-law. "We thought that before, but then Potter and Weasley struck and then that moronic girl stirred the pot. What's to say the rest of the family won't continue their fight once she'd locked up in Azkaban?"

"None of them agree with what Harry and Ron did, so I doubt they agree with what Ginny did either," Hermione said. "And don't forget that yet again, we are the victims. These are unprovoked attacks. As long as we let justice take it's course and don't retaliate, we'll be just fine and peace will eventually reign."

"Do you think that's the wisdom the prophecy mentioned?" Voldemort asked with a proud smirk.

"Speaking of prophecies, I do have one request of the new Minister," Hermione said, giving Lucius a quick grin. "Can you find out if the prophecy is genuine? I would love to know the truth."

"Consider it my first official act when I get the job," Lucius promised. "But for now, I say we celebrate. Two more threats have been eliminated and if Athena is right, this will be the end."

"I am right," Hermione replied with confidence.

And sure enough, the following months proved that Hermione had indeed been right to predict that peace would fall over Wizarding Britain. After Ginny had been sentenced to twenty years in Azkaban, there was no come back from her family. The twins, who Hermione still had business dealings with, let her know there were no hard feeling from anyone in the family and no-one blamed her for what had happened with Ginny. Nor was there any wider retaliation from anyone else and by the time Ginny had been in Azkaban for several months the only people who really remembered her was her family.

As it turned out, despite their best efforts, Harry, Ron and Ginny failed in their efforts to get revenge for what Hermione had put them through the year previously. Hermione had been superb in getting her own vengeance, and when it came down to it, she once again emerged victorious when pitted against her former friends. And the lesson she learnt was that she was very much Hermione Granger and Athena Riddle. When it called for it, she was every bit as dark and ruthless as her father, but she also had more compassion than her father and she knew when to back off and be content with what she had. And that was exactly what she did as she settled down with Draco, and they finally got to look forward to their future together.


	36. Epilogue

**Ten years later.**

It was a big day in Wizarding Britain and all around the country people were getting ready for the main event that would be taking place at the Ministry of Magic that afternoon. After a decade as Minister of Magic, Lucius Malfoy, was stepping down and he would be handing the reigns over to his daughter-in-law, Athena Malfoy, who was about to become the youngest Minister in Wizarding Britains history.

At Malfoy Manor, Lucius was practising his speech in front of the bedroom mirror, while Narcissa finished getting ready. Narcissa had thoroughly enjoyed her time as the Minister's wife, but she had to admit she was looking forward to getting to spend more time with her husband. She was already planning a relaxing holiday for the pair of them, as Lucius wasn't returning to work at the family business. Since Draco had it all in hand and was making a roaring success of things, it meant they would have more time together on a daily basis. Time Narcissa hoped they could either spend together or with their adorable grandson, four year old, Scorpius.

"Are you regretting your decision to retire?" Narcissa asked her husband as he ran over his speech yet again and frowned at the mention of his retirement.

"We always knew my time as Minister was limited," Lucius retorted with a shrug. "I was merely keeping the seat warm for Athena."

"You were doing more than that, Lucius," Narcissa assured her husband. "You've spent the last decade doing the best for Wizarding Britain. I think most people will agree that you've been a very productive Minister. You've certainly been more successful than Fudge."

"That is not a great compliment, Narcissa," Lucius snorted. "Fudge didn't exactly achieve great things in his tenure as Minister. He was far too easily influenced by outside sources."

"Like you," Narcissa chuckled. As much as it could be claimed that Fudge had been heavily influenced by Dumbledore in the early years of his time as Minister, it could be just as easily said that towards the end of him time in power it was Lucius doing the influencing.

"I can't help it if Fudge was weak-willed and wasn't able to stand up to more forceful personalities," Lucius replied with a smirk.

"You never had that problem, and Athena certainly won't," Narcissa said. "But you still didn't answer my question. Are you ready to give up being Minister? Athena is still young, she didn't have to take charge now. You could have had a few more years in the job."

"No, the time is right for me to step aside," Lucius said with a firm nod. "I've loved every minute of these last ten years, but now I'm ready to step back and focus on my family. Besides, I won't be completely out in the cold, I will still be the father-in-law of the new Minister and I trust that Athena will come to me for advice when she needs it. I've still got a vital role to play in things, Narcissa. I'll just have more time for you and Scorpius. Speaking of which, I thought we could take our grandson on holiday once I retire. It would give Draco and Athena some time alone. Maybe to be get started on grandchild number two."

"You expect her to have a second baby just as she's becoming Minister?" Narcissa laughed. "I think a second grandchild will be a few years away yet."

"We'll see," Lucius replied with a shrug. "If anyone can handle being Minister and raising a family, it's Athena. And I doubt being pregnant will slow her down any, it certainly didn't when she was expecting Scorpius."

"True," Narcissa agreed with a nod. "And I think taking Scorpius away is a great idea, but after we've had our own break. I've been looking forward to a romantic holiday with my husband."

"And you will get it," Lucius vowed as he swept his wife into his arms and gave her a searing kiss. "Now, let's get on with this," he said when their lips finally parted. "We've got the rest of our lives to look forward to once I officially retire."

* * *

 _ **G.O.V.**_

* * *

At the same time Lucius and Narcissa were getting ready for the ceremony at the Ministry, Severus was a few miles away doing the same. As Hermione's business partner he wanted to be there to see her sworn in as the Minister of Magic. Of course it meant her new position would leave him in complete charge of their large Potions empire, but he knew he was up to the task. After all, they'd known for a while that Hermione would be taking over as Minister and that Severus would be left in control of the business, so it wasn't like they weren't prepared. In fact Severus was looking forward to being in sole charge.

Although one thing he wasn't looking forward to was trying to fasten his tie, and the dreaded accessory was still draped over his bed. Even after a decade and several meeting with the best Healers in the world, Severus still didn't have much dexterity in his hands. The scars on his face had faded substantially and were now so faint that a lot of people missed them, and a risky procedure had restored the hearing in his left ear again, but there had been very little that could be done for his hands. While they were far from useless, they just couldn't handle fiddly or delicate tasks. Of course it made certain elements of brewing potions impossible for him, but at least he had the running of the business to occupy his mind and he'd learnt to cope with not being as hands on in brewing potions.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, reluctantly picking up his tie and slinging it around his neck.

"Let me, before you strangle yourself," a voice called from behind Severus and an attractive young witch stepped in front of him and deftly sorted his tie.

"Thank you," Severus said, smiling down at the witch who had once upon a time being his assistant.

"You're welcome," Becky replied with a smile of her own.

Romance had blossomed between the pair following Hermione's revelation to Severus that his assistant had fancied him. It was a fact Severus hadn't been able to get out of his head, and although he'd been sceptical of such an attractive girl being interested in him following his accident, Becky had proved that her interest in him was genuine. And these days they were very happily married and very much in love.

"Come on, we don't want to miss Hermione's big moment," Becky said, taking her husband by the hand and leading him out of the bedroom.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Severus replied with a smile.

* * *

 _ **G.O.V.**_

* * *

Another couple getting ready for the ceremony at the Ministry in another part of the country were Tonks and Remus, and they couldn't be happier that everything had worked out for Hermione. Remus still tortured himself over his part in Hermione's kidnapping all those years ago, and every day he was grateful that things hadn't been any worse. Not that things had worked out great for everyone, and he would never forget his two closest friends, not to mention Harry and Ron, but he was well aware that everything could have been a whole lot worse after the Order had stupidly listened to Dumbledore and kidnapped Hermione as an infant.

And as for Voldemort, Remus was certainly convinced that he'd been dead all along. He had to admit he had wondered if they'd been deceived yet again by Dumbledore when his final letter claimed The Dark Lord wasn't dead, but all the evidence pointed to him just trying to salvage his reputation. There hadn't even been a sniff of The Dark Lord being back, and Remus didn't think that he would stay out of sight for a whole decade. No, if he had been alive, the world would have known about. But he wasn't, Dumbledore had killed him in cold blood and most of Wizarding Britain had seen the proof with their own eyes.

"Will any of the Weasleys be there this afternoon?" Tonks asked, interrupting her husband's thoughts.

"The twins will be," Remus replied. "After all, Hermione is still their main investor. It's thank to her investment that they have the shop in Hogsmeade, the postal service and when I was talking to George last weekend, he said they were looking at premises in Ireland."

"And the other Weasleys?" Tonks questioned.

"I don't think Bill or Charlie are in the country at the moment," Remus answered. "And I guess Percy will be there, he does work at the Ministry again."

Percy had actually been back working at the Ministry for the last six years, and it had been Lucius himself who had given him a second chance. The move had gone down particularly well with the public and it had helped prove once and for all that the Malfoys held no grudges against the relations of those who had persecuted Hermione, both when she was a child and once the truth about her parentage had emerged.

"And Molly and Arthur?" Tonks queried. "And what about Lily?"

Although the truth was, Tonks didn't expect any of them to show their faces. Molly and Arthur were virtual recluses these days, who would only see their family. As for Lily, she wasn't quite as bad, but she'd never recovered from the loss of her husband and son and she was a shadow of her former self.

"I doubt it," Remus said. "But Hermione will still have plenty of support. Most of the staff at Hogwarts are planning on attending, and didn't you say Neville will be there?"

These days Neville owned the biggest Herbology centre in Wizarding Britain, and Remus knew that Hermione's Potions company had a large contract for Neville's business to supply her firm with all their Herbology needs.

"Yes, Frank mentioned it last week when he popped in," Tonks replied. "You know, I swear he regrets retiring, he's always popping in to see how things are going."

"At least he got the chance to keep doing the job he loved and retire in his own time," Remus replied. "Both he and I were lucky to get away with our role in Hermione's kidnapping as a child."

"Let's not dwell on the past, Remus," Tonks said softly. "Let's focus on the future. And the future looks bright from where I'm standing."

"Me too," Remus agreed with a small smile.

Somehow his life had turned out pretty perfect, and not only did he have a beautiful wife, but he also had a gorgeous one year old son, Teddy. Sometime he didn't think he deserved his happiness given the mistakes he'd made in the past, but he would take the life he had and every day he appreciated what he had.

* * *

 _ **G.O.V.**_

* * *

"Don't be so nervous, you're going to be great," Draco assured Hermione as his wife nervously paced the floor in his father's office at the Ministry.

"What if it's too soon?" Hermione asked. "I've just turned thirty. What if I'm not ready? What if I don't have enough experience?"

"You have more experience than most people twice your age," Draco scoffed. "Just look at everything you achieved before you even left Hogwarts. And what you've done since then."

"That was different. That was all over revenge," Hermione argued. "But that's all over with. No-one is coming for me any-more. My enemies are either dead, or in Ginny's case rotting in Azkaban."

"I wasn't talking about the revenge you achieved," Draco chuckled. "I was talking about what you achieved in spite of everything you were going through. You found out your entire life was lie, and you didn't crumble. You stayed strong and not only got your revenge, but carried on your normal life as well. You were Head Girl, and you still had the best exam results in out year. You then turned a failing business on it's head and built an empire."

"I had some help with all of that," Hermione replied. "You helped me so much in school. I couldn't have managed everything if I hadn't had you by my side. And as for the business, I've had Severus to help."

"No disrespect to Severus, but I'm sure he would agree you were the driving force behind the business," Draco said. "He wouldn't have done it on his own. You are capable of so much more than you realise, Athena. You're ready for this. This is your moment to shine."

"And what about Scorpius?" Hermione asked, looking over to where their son was happily sitting at Lucius's desk, colouring in a picture. "What if I end up neglecting him while I'm trying to run the country?"

"It doesn't matter how busy you were, you would never neglect Scorpius," Draco assured his wife as he pulled her into his arms. "Now stop worrying, we both know this is your destiny. You were meant to rule the world, and I was meant to be by your side."

"The prophecy doesn't exist, Draco," Hermione chuckled.

True to his word, Lucius had launched a search for the prophecy the moment he'd become the Minister of Magic, but he'd never been able to find a trace of it. If the prophecy had been made, it had never been record in the Ministry's archives, and if that was the case, it would be the first prophecy in history not to be recorded by the Ministry. Instead it seemed far more likely that Dumbledore had made the entire thing up as he'd tried to get the Order to do what he wanted.

"Whether the prophecy is real or not, I still believe this is where you were meant to be," Draco insisted. "You were meant to have power. You were meant to be in charge. Maybe this is where you would have ended up if Dumbledore's hadn't interfered. Maybe you would have been Minister in a world where your father held ultimate control."

"Maybe," Hermione conceded. "But I think we should focus on the here and now. And right now, I think I'm ready to become Minister of Magic."

"That's my wife," Draco said with a grin. "Come on Scorp, let's get ready for Mummy's big moment."

With her husband and son by her side, Hermione took a couple of calming breaths and headed down to the atrium, where the ceremony would take place and she would be sworn in as Britain's newest, and youngest, Minister of Magic.

* * *

 _ **G.O.V.**_

* * *

The crowds for Hermione's initiation as Minister of Magic were larger than anyone had predicted and there wasn't a spare morsel of space in the vast atrium at the Ministry of Magic. The press were out in force, as were friends and supporters of Hermione. Even those people who still weren't sure how they felt about having the daughter of Lord Voldemort as Minister were present as they were keen to make a decision about the witch in question.

As the outgoing Minister of Magic, Lucius began proceedings with a speech. After thanking people for the support he'd received during his decade in charge, he spoke briefly about the changes he'd made over the last decade and what the country had achieved in that time. He then turned his attention to his successor, and spoke passionately and lovingly about the witch who would be taking his place.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you your new Minister of Magic – Athena Malfoy," Lucius cried loudly, sweeping his arms towards Hermione. Even though Hermione used both names it had been decided that officially she was going to use the name Athena as it was the name her father had given her, and it reminded people that she wasn't trying to hide from who she truly was or forget the past.

Stepping forward, Hermione embraced Lucius and thanked him for his kind words. She then also spoke about her father-in-law, and what a great Minister he'd been before touching on some of her own ideas for how the country could move forward and continue to prosper. Not once in her speech did she mention power, or taking over the entire wizarding world, and the small fears that had still existed in the minds of her doubters were slowly extinguished. It was obvious to anyone watching that the witch taking over the Ministry wasn't anything like her power hungry father.

That was, it was obvious to all those who didn't truly know Hermione. For those in her most trusted circle of family and friends, they all knew she was a lot more like her father than anyone could ever imagine. She most certainly had her father's darkness and his ability to use whatever means necessary to get what she wanted. However, these days she had everything she wanted and there was no longer a need to use darkness to achieve her goals. Instead she was going to use the other side of her personality, the kind, compassionate side, to become the finest Minister of Magic, Wizarding Britain had ever known.

And among those in the crowd who truly knew Hermione was Voldemort. Of course he was in disguise and no-one would ever realise that the nondescript brown haired man watching events with such interest was the dark wizard himself. As far as everyone was concerned, he was dead, and he was happy to keep it that way. The people closest to him knew the truth, and in all honesty he was content with his life. He still missed his wife, and always would, but he'd finally been given the chance to get to know his daughter and every day he felt blessed to have Athena in his life. And the icing on the cake was his beautiful grandson, Scorpius. If Dumbledore had gotten his way, Voldemort wouldn't have known Athena or Scorpius, but luckily the old man had failed and Voldemort still had his family.

* * *

 _ **G.O.V.**_

* * *

"You know, I think this is what the prophecy meant," Frank confided in Remus as the two wizards stood with their wives and watched Hermione taking the oaths that would lead to her been officially declared the Minister of Magic. "This was how she was going to rule the world, as Minister."

"And her dragon is by her side," Remus said as Draco stepped forward and embraced his wife, their son in his arms. "Damn Dumbledore. If he'd had his way this might never have happened. He could have ruined everything."

"I guess everything worked out in the end," Frank remarked.

"At least for some people," Remus muttered, his mind turning to those who had lost their lives.

Although he couldn't help but think that everyone who had lost their lives had done so because of Dumbledore. He'd set a chain of events in motion that had caused so much trouble and caused so many people so much pain. And in the end it was all for nothing, as Hermione had ended up on top after all. She was the ultimate victor – a true Goddess of Victory.

 **The End.**

* * *

 **A/N – Finally we've reached the end of Goddess, and as usual I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this story, and to follow, favourite and especially review. The amazing support I receive from people keeps me posting my stories on here, and hopefully it was continue for many years to come.**

 **As for new stories, I'm afraid to say that at the moment I don't have any completed stories in the locker. I do have some nearing the end, and several I'm actively working on. But the summer has just been so sweltering and the heat has been so oppressive that I've managed very little writing. Still, I've got some new collections pieces to post over the next few weeks and with a bit of hard work (and hopefully some cooler weather), I do hope to have a new dark story ready to go before the end of the year. And don't worry, I haven't forgotten the third part of the Darkness trilogy, that is one of the stories I am working on and aiming to get completed over the coming months.**

 **So thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the end of this story and Hermione and Draco's happy ending.**


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